letters Archives - Défis Humanitaires

We’ve received these letters from readers and invite you to read them. You too can write to us at: contact@defishumanitaires.com and we’ll publish your letter in the next issue. We look forward to hearing from you.

Olivier Routeau, Director of Operations, Première Urgence Internationale :

“As a loyal reader of Défis Humanitaires since its launch, I welcomed the first requests for contributions from its founder, Alain Boinet, with real enthusiasm and deep gratitude.

Défis Humanitaires offers a multifaceted perspective on the realities of the world, their complexities, and their humanitarian consequences—a project that is truly essential! Humanitarian action and its actors are often swept along by the rhythm of crises… waves of emergencies crashing again and again upon our troubled world. This relentless tempo limits everyone’s ability to place humanitarian work within its broader global context and historical perspective.

Défis Humanitaires takes on this ambitious task, providing valuable insights to help us understand and to reframe the sector’s evolution within a wider framework. The freedom it grants its contributors also offers a panorama of viewpoints from which we all benefit.

Humanitarian action is undergoing major changes: the world’s growing turmoil and the multiplying needs for aid missions have pushed the existing model to the brink of collapse. Yet at its core, humanitarianism is a certain idea of what makes us human—gathering diverse ways of expressing it around its fundamental principles. In this sense, Défis Humanitaires offers its actors a mirror in which they can see themselves with pride. For this, I feel truly grateful.”

Reader’s testimonial

“Défis Humanitaires is now a reference in humanitarian literature. The wide variety of topics covered allows readers to follow international news while deepening their understanding of humanitarian crises around the world. The journal also offers valuable insight into the issues and challenges faced by humanitarian workers in the field, as well as emerging debates and technological innovations that are helping to shape the sector.

I highly recommend Défis Humanitaires to anyone interested in humanitarian issues, regardless of their profession or level of knowledge on these subjects!”

Éric Cheysson, President of La Chaîne de l’Espoir :

“On the occasion of the 100th issue of Défis Humanitaires, I would like to emphasise how valuable this publication is to us all. The relevant analyses and insightful perspectives it offers are essential for understanding and responding to current issues. It is thanks to passionate people like you, who share this information from the field, that we can all get involved and stay informed. Thank you all for your commitment and dedication.”

Hervé Hutin, Associate Professor at the University of Chambéry :

‘Thank you, Alain, for this initiative, which is a valuable long-term contribution to thinking about humanitarian issues today. Every year, I recommend ’Humanitarian Challenges‘ to students on the Master’s programme in ’Crisis Analysis and Humanitarian Action‘ for the quality of its insights, interviews and testimonials. Well done!’

Edouard Lagourgue, Former President of Solidarités International :

‘Well done, Alain and your team, on this 100th issue! ’Défis Humanitaires” is invaluable to us for discussing, discovering and sharing facts and points of view in this geo-humanitarian context… where nothing is stable or certain. We know how much energy it takes for you and your team to put together each issue. We must salute your achievement on this anniversary. Let us add that your experience since the Afghan years (1980) and the beginnings of what became Solidarités International give Défis Humanitaires the right tone, experienced and sometimes visionary, on the evolution of this humanitarian environment. ‘Saving lives’ is your mantra, and Défis Humanitaires contributes to this, despite its limited resources, through the power of the ideas presented and the guests who share their experiences. Thank you for your infectious enthusiasm in taking our solidarity to ever greater heights!”

I invite you to read these interviews and articles published in the edition :

And then – patatras! Humanitarian aid faced with the challenge of surpassing itself.
- - Occident, global enemy no. 1, exclusive interview with Jean-François Colosimo
  - Water, a vital humanitarian challenge!
- Resistance : What inspiration can humanitarians draw from a survivor of the Rwandan genocide?

Their names are Nathalie, Tatev, Mariam and Anna and they write to us from Artsakh, this territory of the South Caucasus populated by Armenians and coveted by Azerbaijan. When you read their letters, you will understand how attached they are to their land, to their history, to their identity after having thought they would disappear when the war suddenly broke out on September 27, 2020 and ended 44 days later, on November 9, 2020, a little over a year ago. They are about twenty years old and they are learning French at the University of Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh where the first foreign language taught is Russian. It is thanks to Nelly, their French teacher, that we received these letters. They tell us about their life, their fear and their hope. You can answer them by sending us a letter to defishumanitaires@gmail.com and we will send them. We met Nelly on site. She was our translator when we were there last February with Bernard Kouchner and Patrice Franceschi. Since then, we are happy to have sent Nelly some French teaching books that she was missing.

Hello dear reader

My name is Nathalie, I am 19 years old. I was born on November 28, 2001 in the village of Aknaghbyur, in the region of Askeran (formerly known as Karabulakh, which means “big spring”). I am a 3rd year student of English language and literature at the Faculty of Philology of Artsakh State University. I love my job, it gives me the opportunity to explore world literature in its original form, to work with children, developing Armenian and Armenian in them. Now I have only one goal, to deepen my knowledge, to acquire the ability to communicate in different languages, to deepen my cultural and Armenological knowledge in order to make our nation visible to the world.

I also like educational activities. I have been working with children for two years now. My students inspire me in the strongest moments, give me strength and endurance. Today, my dreams and goals are linked only to my birthplace, Aknaghbyur. It was occupied by the enemy during the 44-day war in 2020 and finally came under enemy control on October 27. My pain is great, my grief is boundless. There were a number of historical and cultural monuments in Aknaghbyur, including the 19th century Surb Astvatsatsin church, the 19th-20th century cemetery, the 19th-20th century “Ghuze Tagh” cemetery, located 500 m southeast of the village, the 17th century “Ghuze Tagh” shrine, the 18th-19th century “Gharali” village, located 2 km west of the village. In the center of Aknaghbyur there was a memorial dedicated to the fallen freedom fighters of the first Artsakh war, which was destroyed by the Azerbaijanis after the village was taken over by the Azerbaijani armed forces. Every day I pray to the Almighty Lord to find our village and let the mornings of the Armenian world begin peacefully…

Nathalie

Translation of the letter into Armenian

Hello everyone,

My name is Tatev, I am 21 years old. I was born in the village of Kochoghot in the Martakert region of Artsakh. I am a first year master student. I study English language and literature at Artsakh State University.

My village is beautiful, there is a wonderful nature where one can rest well.

Here lives the long-suffering Armenian who tries to provide for his family by his honest work. And suddenly, at dawn, you hear the sound of explosions, the roar of weapons, the groan of the fatherland. War, we guessed, has broken out, disrupting our peaceful life. I think you know Artsakh and you know what happened recently: a cruel and unjust war that spared nobody. Each exploded weapon took lives, taking with it many dreams that did not come true. We lost 75% of our country in the 44-day war. It is true that we cannot bring back the many Armenians who sacrificed their lives for the motherland, but we can do at least one thing – pray for the enlightenment of their souls to keep their names immortal. Many families have lost their homes, but everyone, in their heart of hearts, hopes that one day they will return to their land and find their houses and homes that they built themselves.

We must not lose hope and faith in God, we must pray, believe that our voice will reach God, we must be obliged to make our wonderful country Artsakh prosper and develop.

I wish peace and unity to you and to us in any work undertaken. Join us, dear friends, do not allow injustice and evil to act against us.

I also have to tell you how much our terrorist enemy is trying to cut us off from our homes and our land. We will live on this land inherited from our ancestors, we will not lose the potential to create a beautiful culture.

Tatev

Traduction de la lettre en arménien

Hello,

My name is Mariam. I am 22 years old. I am a graduate of the Translation Department of Artsakh State University, I am currently in the first year of my master’s degree and I am studying English language and literature. I love walking in the nature, it calms me down and allows me to be alone with my thoughts. When I have free time, I read books and listen to music.

I was born in the village of Taghavard in the Martuni region. I live in Stepanakert, since on October 27, as a result of the war, a part of the village was taken over by the enemy.

The village of Taghavard has a beautiful nature, there are many historical and cultural monuments, including the fortress of Berdahonj (8th-14th century), the church Surb Astvatsatsin (1840), Jokht prvatsar (11th-12th century) and the shrine of Churvish (17th-18th centuries) which are quite famous. Unfortunately, the Churvish shrine was destroyed by bombing during the war.

Almost every day I see our house, our village in my dreams and this is the only way to calm the lack we all have.

However, we do not have the right to despair, because we are obliged to live and create in our Artsakh, on the land that was kept at the cost of the blood of thousands of soldiers, so that we can live the life that they did not live.

After all, there is no place more powerful and dearer than our own land and homeland.

Mariam

Traduction de la lettre en arménien

Destroyed housing complex in the Republic of Artsakh due to Azerbaijan’s shelling in September and October 2020 @Yan-Boechat-VOA.

Hello dear friends,

I am Anna, I am 21 years old. I come from a small but beautiful part of the world: Artsakh. I live in Stepanakert, its capital. In my homeland you can find a wonderful nature, very hospitable people and a history that is very old but at the same time full of adventures and suffering.

I study at Artsakh State University, in the faculty of foreign languages. I am learning English and French. Outside of my studies I give individual lessons and teach English and French to children. I am married and soon I will have a son. My biggest dream is that my child will grow up under the blue sky. You already know that we suffered because of the war in 2020. On September 27, we woke up to the sound of bombing. It was a pain that is frankly impossible to explain in words. We don’t want to leave our country, but I don’t want my son to be a victim of a new war either.

My 7 year old cousin tells me that he wants to be a soldier, but he doesn’t want to participate in the war because all the soldiers who participated in the war are dead…

My day-to-day life is very full: I participate in the online university classes, I do my classes with the kids also online because of Covid19, I do the cleaning sometimes, I cook and in the evening, when I have time, I go for a walk. I have a beautiful view of the city of Shushi from my window. At night before I go to sleep I look at this city in the hope of a miracle: that of returning there one day and making its culture flourish again, which is now destroyed by the Azeris.

We, the Artsakhtsis, are very dynamic and courageous, we will never abandon our country.

We will fight for the welfare of our children, for the next generation and for our country.

Dear readers, we wish you happiness and joy; may you never feel the pain of war.

Anna

Translation of the letter into Armenian