Martin Sargsyan, 29, had big plans for 2020.

This was going to be the year his family opened their guesthouse on their farm in Mets Sariyar, a village in Armenia’s north-west Shirak region. 

The entire family took part in the process: Sargsyan’s father focused on the family’s long-standing beekeeping business, so his mother and his wife could dedicate their time to decorating the guesthouse and planning the menu. At the beginning of the year, the two-story, three-bedroom guesthouse was ready for tourists.

When Karabakh refugees arrived in Osakhan, Armenia, three friends decided to start a small factory so women refugees could earn some money and focus on work. 

People are spending more and more time online. While the internet has been a blessing in some cases—charity drives have assisted the vulnerable and online classes have helped children and students continue their education—it has also fed a growing storm of disinformation, fake news and hate speech about the virus.

To survive the blockade, Karabakh businesses have to be creative.