Lianna Sukiasyan lives in the city of Martuni, in Armenia’s Gegharkunik region. She is a baker, often working long night shifts. Her husband and eldest son have gone abroad to earn a living, while Lianna remains at home with her youngest son, carrying the full weight of household chores and responsibilities.
She has been married for 23 years. Together with her husband, Artur, she has worked tirelessly all those years — building a house, planting a garden, cultivating the land. Their home is large but still unfinished. Although Artur is a skilled craftsman, the rising cost of construction materials has delayed the renovations. For the past 20 years, he has travelled abroad for work to make ends meet.
Lianna proudly shows her husband’s handmade work. Yet even more striking than the carpentry is the orderliness of her home: beds lined as if with a ruler, not a speck of dust in sight. In every detail, her discipline and care are evident.
The table with the fruits of her garden
Lianna is hospitable person. She offers fruit from her garden — pears, apples, mulberries, walnuts — alongside coffee.
“I grow all this. I spare nothing for them. My work is for them,” she says warmly.
In the cellar, shelves are lined with colourful jars of jam, pickles, and compotes — each one glistening like a small treasure. Outside, Lianna tends her abundant garden, where every inch of soil yields something: pumpkins, peppers, greens, peaches, apples, mulberries, and potatoes. She works without pause, digging potatoes with one hand and picking mulberries with the other.
Later, on the way to the lavash bakery where she works, Lianna reflects:
“My husband suffers far away, but what can we do? That’s life. You have to work to survive.”
When asked if she ever feels she works harder than her husband, she looks surprised, then smiles gently:
“Who else would do my housework? If I can do it, if I have the strength, why shouldn’t I?”
She takes pride in her orderly, hardworking life.
Bread with blessing
The aroma of lavash is in the bakery. Her hands move quickly and confidently, spinning thin sheets of dough for lavash. The bread expands and dances in the air, almost hypnotic to watch, as if the lavash were moving by itself.
“Every time I spin lavash, I bless the bread in my mind,” she says. “I bring money home with righteous sweat. We move forward, laying stone upon stone.”
When Artur is at home, there is no rest either: he renovates and cultivates, she bakes and tends. Their lives are a rhythm of equal, endless work.
Small in stature but with boundless energy, Lianna never complains and never tires. For her, work is not only a duty but a way of life.
And so, in Martuni, a day that begins with the aroma of fresh bread ends the same way: with work, warmth, and gratitude for life.
Author: Mariam Mughdusyan
Photo by Lilian Galstyan
This article was developed within the framework of the ‘Demographic Resilience: Expanding Women's Capacities and Choices through Data-driven Policies’ Project, implemented by UNFPA. This project is funded with UK International Development from the UK government. This article has been funded by UK International Development from the UK Government; however, the views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s or UNFPA official policies.
