Simona Margherita Marcia

Documentary Photographer

simarght.com

The Armenian School on the Border

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Focus: Photographer, Photojournalist, Journalist, Curator, Collector, Reporter, Travel, Still Life, Photo Assistant, Documentary, Creative, Photo Editor, Photography, Foreign, Portraiture, Conceptual, Culture, Blogger, Copywriter, Social Media Editor, International News, Foreign Desk, Arts & Culture, Journalist Investigative, Freelance, Civil Rights and Social Inequality, Assignments, Explorer, Human Rights, International, Creative Professional, Storyteller, Project Manager, Translator, Investigative Reporter, International Photo Editor, War, International Stories, Wildspaces, Still Photographer, Digital Media, Portrait Photography, Social Justice, Reportage

Clients: ICRC, Global Voices, Sofar Sounds, Circolo dei Lettori, Torino Spiritualità

School: EFTI, Istituto Italiano di Fotografia, NODE Center IMCR

In the schoolyard wall-in wind...tential shooting and shrapnel.

In the schoolyard wall-in windows protect pupils and teachers from potential shooting and shrapnel.

The presence of schoolchildren...m are still in the classrooms.

The presence of schoolchildren is clearly felt through craft works all over the school walls, while most of them are still in the classrooms.

Janitors play a significative ... are safe within the premises.

Janitors play a significative role in the daily life of the school, making sure children are safe within the premises.

Out of many classrooms, one is...ry and physics lab”.

Out of many classrooms, one is used as a transitory storage for diverse learning materials. It is commonly referred to as “the chemistry and physics lab”.

The large building hosting Vaz... can be heard in the distance.

The large building hosting Vazashen school is in precarious conditions, in stark contrast to the young and lively voices that can be heard in the distance.

Autumn light enlivening the ro...n the noisy tumult of lessons.

Autumn light enlivening the room - a quiet moment in between the noisy tumult of lessons.

To work and live in a borderli...and concern, light and shadow.

To work and live in a borderline community is synonymous with constant duality: stillness and tension, hope and concern, light and shadow.

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Public Project

The Armenian School on the Border

Copyright Simona Margherita Marcia 2024

Updated May 2022

Location Armenia

Topics Children, Conflict, Documentary, Education, International Stories, Journalism, Photojournalism, Reportage, School/College, War, War and its effects, World

Armenia: A day in the life of a school on the border

Despite the security risks, children, living in communities along the border, between Armenia and Azerbaijan, go to school every morning.

For an outsider, their lives may appear normal, but appearances can be deceptive. It is only when one interacts with the children who attend school, or their teachers, that the gravity of the situation becomes evident.

Before the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the 1990s, this school in Tavush Region of Armenia had 800 students. Now there are only 200. Heating is only available in the main building. School authorities say it is more than enough as the number of students has been steadily decreasing over the past years.

The ICRC works on both sides of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan to help people deal with the security situation, loss of livelihood and lack of economic opportunities.

Commissioned by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Article - Gohar Hakobyan

Photos and captions - Simona Margherita Marcia

Link to the article on www.icrc.org

2017

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