Life

Ani's 19-year-old son was killed in 2020 during the Second Karabakh War and the 48-year-old has been dreaming of having another boy. In 2022 Armenia registered a high sex imbalance; experts maintain that the war and the country's fragile security situation may have triggered an increase of sex selection at birth.
Ani's 19-year-old son was killed in 2020 during the Second Karabakh War and the 48-year-old has been dreaming of having another boy. In 2022 Armenia registered a high sex imbalance; experts maintain that the war and the country's fragile security situation may have triggered an increase of sex selection at birth. © Armine Avetisyan

Post-War Trauma Prompts Armenia’s Sex Imbalance 

Experts note that the conflict and still-volatile security may be behind the rise of a skewed ratio between boys and girls.

22 Jun 23
Ukrainian children who fled the conflict play in a shelter organised in an exhibition centre, on March 13, 2022 in Chisinau, Moldova. Among the neighbouring countries, Moldova is the one that has received the most refugees in proportion to its population. This is a major challenge for this nation among the poorest in Europe.
Ukrainian children who fled the conflict play in a shelter organised in an exhibition centre, on March 13, 2022 in Chisinau, Moldova. Among the neighbouring countries, Moldova is the one that has received the most refugees in proportion to its population. This is a major challenge for this nation among the poorest in Europe. © Andreea Campeanu/Getty Images

Moldova’s Ukrainian Refugees Find Stability, But Long for Home 

Chișinău has granted Ukrainians temporary protection status, with automatic rights to housing, healthcare, education and work.

20 Jun 23
An evening view of Tsalenjikha, a village in Georgia's western region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Magda Kharchilava, 24, left the village of nearly 4,000 people to study in the capital Tbilisi but decided to return to pursue her photography and art passion. She is an exception: young Georgians are leaving rural areas in droves due to lack of education and job opportunities in the regions.
An evening view of Tsalenjikha, a village in Georgia's western region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Magda Kharchilava, 24, left the village of nearly 4,000 people to study in the capital Tbilisi but decided to return to pursue her photography and art passion. She is an exception: young Georgians are leaving rural areas in droves due to lack of education and job opportunities in the regions. © Magda Kharchilava

Young Georgians Abandon Rural Life for the Capital

As Tbilisi swells, towns and villages lose the very force that could keep them alive.

28 Mar 23
In February 2023, the Armenian government announced the gradual introduction of a national health insurance that in four years would cover the country’s population. Experts have long debated the need to reform the current system, under which the general public pays for treatment, while those from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups can access free care.
In February 2023, the Armenian government announced the gradual introduction of a national health insurance that in four years would cover the country’s population. Experts have long debated the need to reform the current system, under which the general public pays for treatment, while those from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups can access free care. © Armenia’s Ministry of Health

Armenia to Launch Comprehensive Health Insurance

Country has long had low spending on healthcare, leading to huge pressure on ordinary citizens.

22 Mar 23
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