Ahead of the 2018 Aurora Prize events Doctor Tom Catena, 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate, and his wife Nasima Catena have paid a special visit to the country. They traveled to the south of Armenia, meeting with young people and local professionals to discover the heart and soul of this ancient nation.
 

The tour started in the town of Sisian, in Armenia’s southern Zangezur region, where Tom Catena met with local doctors at the Zangezur Garrison Hospital. A man who dedicated his life to saving others among the unspeakable horrors of war, 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate had a lot to discuss with his fellow doctors.

The meeting was followed by a conversation with healthcare workers and other professionals at the Hamo Sahyan House of Culture in Sisian, where a screening of “Armenian Doctors in Sudan” took place. The short film tells the story of three Armenian doctors – Gevorg Voskanyan, Hayk Hovhannisyan and Armine Barkhudaryan – who last year had temporarily substituted for Dr. Tom Catena and continued his humanitarian work while he went to Armenia to take part in 2017 Aurora Prize events.

The Catena family also had an opportunity to see Goris, an ancient town famous for its Rock Forest. This was followed by a ride on the Wings of Tatev, the world’s longest reversible cableway that leads to Tatev Monastery, a 9th century historical monument and one of the oldest and most famous monastery complexes in Armenia. After meeting the representatives of the local community Doctor Tom Catena headed to Artsakh.

Dr Catena was invited as a guest of honor to the graduation ceremony at the Artsakh State University where he had an opportunity to present diplomas to the graduates. A conversation with youth, students and representatives of local NGOs took place after that. 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate presented his mission to the audience and talked at length about the impact the Prize has had on his life and his community’s future.