A new school year started in a class of the Syrian Armenians, the most unusual class in Yerevan.

Children who faced war and violence and saw destroyed houses and abandoned shops are standing in the yard ahead of their new school year in a new school.

The class teacher Albina Baghdasaryan says that the class has been formed so that the children could not feel themselves as “newcomers.” Children are involved in different school events that will help them make friends easier.

Aleak Kalaydjian and Arpi Margaryan are newcomers. They came from Syria a couple of months ago. Holding hands and trying to hide the embarrassment, they say they miss their old school and want to be there today. At the same time the girls say that they were warmly welcomed.

Maral Kalaydjian, mother of Aleak, is as much excited as her daughter is. Her greatest fear is about girl's relationships with teachers and classmates.

“We lived in Nor Gyugh district of Aleppo. After the district was targeted by a rocket attack, we moved to my brother's place in Suleymaniye. But shelling began in that district, too. My husband decided to move to Armenia,” she said.

Asked whether they receive any assistance in their homeland, the woman said people helped them more than the government did.