This blog aims to feature Habitat Armenia's solutions to address housing needs of low-income families in Armenia through Housing Micro-finance projects.
The blog highlights two components of the project; Affordable housing for low-income families and Global Village experiences. In the first section you can see how and where your contribution was used and the difference it made. The second section is directed to volunteer programs and introduces ongoing and upcoming builds and projects.
Robert (33) and his family of 4 live in an ancestral home in Gosh village of Tavush region. The family includes Marieta (59), Robert’s mother, Anna (24), Robert’s wife and their 4-year-old son Alen. Currently the family lives in poor housing conditions devoid of basic amenities. It is very humid and needs an urgent renovation. There is no bathroom and the toilet is outside of the house.
The family’s income is too low to allow them to live on and renovate their home all at once. Robert is a contractual serviceman in the army and Anna works in the local elementary school as a teacher. Marieta does not work; she takes care of Alen, does the housework and cultivates soil for food. The family could not believe they would ever have a chance to renovate their home until they heard about Habitat. This is the second time that they partner with Habitat Armenia. A few years ago thanks to the partnership they renovated the roof which used to leak.
The family is very excited with the extension of this partnership as three generations will soon live in improved conditions.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Making it Happen
From July 26 to August 9 Habitat Armenia hosted the 2nd team of 2014 international volunteers in Tavush region within the scope of the Global Village program. It is about two weeks that the volunteers who have arrived from United States have been enthusiastically working in Gosh village to support the improvement of housing conditions of the Ghazaryan family.
For decades the family of Ghazaryans had been living in poor housing conditions due to insufficient means for house renovation. Thanks to the partnership with Habitat for Humanity Armenia their dream of having a simple, decent and affordable house became reality.
Day 1: The team was touched by the warm welcome the partner family. After the introduction the team was provided safety orientation and started the renovation work.
Traditional bread and salt which show hospitality
Day 2 was a typical work day
Surprise from the community kids :)
Day 3 was a rest day and the team visited local monasteries
Day 4 and 5 were work days accompanied by delicious lunches prepared by the partner family
Day 6 was a rest day again and the volunteers visited a local church and bakery in Ijevan
Day 7-9 were typical work days full of work and delicious food
Day 10 was the last day. The blessing of the house was followed by the farewell dinner and the volunteers said good bye to the partner family
The team members share their experience.
Dear Habitat Armenia members and friends,
We have launched our first building project for this year!
Global Village trip- Tavush Region - June 28th to July 9th 2014
Barev from our diverse team and the family of Seda Parsadanyan!
Our amazing team consists of 10 volunteers from America, Switzerland, and France.
Day One: 9am – 5pm
Introduction - Family and Volunteers
Removal of garbage materials and soil embankment
Partial plastering of walls
The Parsadanyan family
Exchanging hellos, gratitudes, and building a bridge between different cultures
Removal of garbage materials and soil embankment
With the sun blazing at 32 degrees celsius, our first working day was brutal. First, we leveled the working grounds by transferring rocks and dirt from one area to another. Afterward, we filled buckets with rocks and transferred them onto a dump truck. Needless to say, by the end of the day, we were sunburned and exhausted!
Day Two: 9am – 4pm
• Cement-sand mixing
• Partial plastering of walls
• Partial floor finishing with concrete later
Aggregate- A mixture of sand and stone and a major component of concrete.
Volunteers hard at work, mixing cement, rocks, dirt, and water.
Floor finishing with the mixed cement
The transferring of the heavy cement buckets from downstair to upstair was quite difficult!
Taking a much deserved ten minutes break
What an amazing team we have! I have grown so fond of these amazing people; the impact and inspiration within them shines so incredibly bright. We are all different- in gender, age, nationality- but we are at the same place, with the same desire- to help each other, and that's beautiful.
Until next time, I will leave you all with one of my favorite quote:
Love,
Toquyen Doan
Peace Corps Volunteer
Armenia 2013 - 2015
