Yerevan: The ongoing military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has left thousands of people homeless from the Nagorno-Karabakh region since September. Many have fled their homes and moved to the capital city of Yerevan.
As people of both nations have come together to help the needy in the border areas, a certain Indian family in Armenia has recently converted their restaurant into a free-meal center for refugees.
For the past six years, a 47-year-old man from Punjab, Parvez Ali Khan, has been running ''Indian Mehak Restaurant & Bar' in Armenia. So, when he and his family heard about the ongoing crisis, they decided to offer help to the affected people in every way possible.
Parvez said he and his family initially offered clothes to the refugees but later realized the refugees needed cooked food and not just food supplies. And that is when he thought of converting his restaurant into a free-meal center.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant was short-staffed as most of their workers went back to India. But that could not stop Parvez and his family from serving the needy.
The family has to send out messages on social media in order to get help from volunteers. As the response was positive, they were soon able to cater to many refugees.
The restaurant has 50 volunteers who are helping Parvez cooking and delivering the food.