Ongoing Projects: Artsakh: Between War and Peace: NKRWP_025A

Children sprint through the hallways of Stepanakert School No. 2.Weeks after the ceasefire, it is heartening to see life returning to the streets of Stepanakert. Every day, another shop reopens, another alleyway is swept of shattered glass and debris, another courtyard is brightened with the appearance of colorful children’s clothing zigzagging across clotheslines. By December 1, most schools in the city have reopened. In a third grade classroom, the mood is somber as students are briefed by a HALO Trust education specialist on the dangers of unexploded munitions, which many have already found in their backyards. But when the recess bell rings, suddenly lifted from the haze, they are kids again.

Children sprint through the hallways of Stepanakert School No. 2.

Weeks after the ceasefire, it is heartening to see life returning to the streets of Stepanakert. Every day, another shop reopens, another alleyway is swept of shattered glass and debris, another courtyard is brightened with the appearance of colorful children’s clothing zigzagging across clotheslines. By December 1, most schools in the city have reopened. In a third grade classroom, the mood is somber as students are briefed by a HALO Trust education specialist on the dangers of unexploded munitions, which many have already found in their backyards. But when the recess bell rings, suddenly lifted from the haze, they are kids again.