Contact:

Haykuhi Khachatryan
Communications Coordinator HFH Armenia
Aygestan 8th Street, bld 5,
Yerevan-070; Armenia
(374 1) 556-114
haykuhi@hfharmenia.org

Women build at Habitat for Humanity Armenia

Habitat For Humanity builds more than homes. It connects hearths and
souls of people to do better for the people living next to us.

Nani Oskanyan, the president of Diplomatic Spouse Association is one of
HFH Armenia’s local supporters who invited and organized the spouses
of the Ambassadors in the Republic of Armenia to join Habitat For
Humanity Armenia and to build in the frames of Women Build program,
for the family of Khachatryans in Voskehat village, Aragatsotn marz,
on April 9, 2005. This family of 6 lived in a barn for many years.
They later finished just one room of their house and moved into that
room in order to simply survive. In 2004, they were selected as an
HFH Armenia partner family.

The participants at the build were the wives of several countries’
ambassadors to Armenia. They were the Iranian Ambassador’s wife–Mrs.
Faranak Mojharban, Lebanese Ambassador’s wife–Mrs. Tigresse Chidiac,
Ukrainian Ambassador’s wife–Valentina Tiaglo, Romanian Ambassador’s
wife-Mrs. Ana Iordache, Turkmenian Ambassador’s wife-Mrs. Durdieva,
Estonian Ambassador’s wife–Mrs. Barkhudaryan, UNISEF Representative’s
wife-Mrs. Yett. They all joined the Women’s Build event at Habitat
For Humanity Armenia to a build simple, decent, affordable and healthy
home. This is the second time that Nani Oskanyan is building with
Habitat in Armenia in Voskehat village.

Women Build even is inspiring women to be more active and get involved
in community development. Construction is not only men’s job but
women can do it as well and help our communities.

“This is the first time I am doing volunteering work but I am
really glad
that am able to help Armenia and Armenian people to have better lives
and healthy homes”, — Mrs Faranak Mojharban said.

Habitat for Humanity Armenia is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity
International and supports community development in the Republic of
Armenia by assisting in the construction and renovation of simple,
decent and affordable homes. The purpose of the organization is to
help families in need improve their living conditions, to raise funds
to support the vital work, and to give hope to thousands of people
across the country. The organization was formed in March of 2000 and,
to date, has dedicated 100 homes and given shelter to 575 people.

Sub-standard housing is all too common in Armenia. Many families live
in deteriorated housing, in cramped quarters with inadequate water
and heat. HFH Armenia’s selected target group is families living in
substandard, over-crowded and unacceptable living quarters. This group
comprises more than 50-60% of the country’s current population. These
families are unable to purchase their own homes, as they do not have
sufficient income to save to pay for the entire house cost up front,
nor can they risk, or would they be eligible for, a high-interest
loan from a commercial lender.

Habitat for Humanity Armenia has found a way to solve the
problem. Families, with two or three wage earners, pay back a
no-interest loan for a simple, decent, affordable, and healthy home,
and are still able to feed their families. Habitat for Humanity Armenia
is using a combination of two approaches to help Habitat families
solve their housing problems:

1) Completing half-built homes, which are numerous in
Armenia. This approach enables families to fulfill their
dream of completing their own home. Utilizing existing
core structure reduces costs and prevents the disruption
of relocating.

2) Purchasing apartments to make use of Armenia’s existing
under-utilized housing stock. Purchased homes are resold at
no-profit, interest-free, to Habitat families who renovate
their apartments and help in the construction of other
families’ homes.

For more information please email Haykuhi Khachatryan, Communication
Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity Armenia haykuhi@hfharmenia.org .
See also .

Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International is a
non-denominational Christian, non-governmental, non-profit housing
organization that has helped more than 700,000 people of all races,
religions and backgrounds to have a simple, decent and affordable
place to live. Habitat for Humanity has built or renovated more
than 175,000 homes throughout the world, becoming a global leader
in addressing poverty housing. Habitat for Humanity is active in 100
countries worldwide, including 19 in Europe and Central Asia.

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