PRESS RELEASE
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY ARMENIA
Aygestan 8th str, h5
Yerevan-070
Armenia
Contact :
Zaruhi Tonapetyan
Resource Development Coordinator for HFH Armenia
(374 10)556-114
zara@hfharmenia.org
ARMENIA SELECTED AS PARTNER TO JIMMY CARTER WORK PROJECT
Armenian delegation visits U.S. to spread word of critical poverty
housing issue;
Head of Armenian Patriarchate, the Catholicos, to meet with Carter
in Michigan
YEREVAN, Armenia (May 16) – Forty percent of
Armenia’s population lives in substandard housing.
____________________________________________________________________
For the 22nd annual Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP), held in Benton
Harbor, and Detroit, Michigan June 19-24, Armenia has been selected
as a partner country, and will receive a portion of the tithe.
“We are delighted and grateful to have been selected to partner with
the JCWP this year,” says Ashot Yeghizaryan, Executive Director of
Habitat for Humanity Armenia. “There is a significant poverty housing
issue in Armenia, and we hope to forge new partnerships in America
to help us in our continuing efforts to fight this problem.”
President Carter, his wife Rosalynn will join 1000s of international
volunteers to build homes alongside families in need in Michigan. This
year, an Armenian delegation will join them – including the head
of the Armenian church: The Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of All
Armenians His Holiness Karekin II.
“This expression of good will by the Armenian Patriarch will become
an excellent demonstration of the volunteer values within people from
all walks of life, backgrounds and beliefs,” says Ashot Yeghizaryan.
Armenia, a country of 3 million nestled in the southern Caucasus,
suffers rates at a 45% poverty level, according to the Council of
Europe. Over the past decade, the country has suffered the aftermath
of the devastating 1988 earthquake which left 500,000 homeless; the
Azerbaijani war, which hampered the country’s ability to rebuild;
the collapse of the Soviet regime, and a newfound independence. All
have led to economic crisis.
Thousands of Armenians still live in metal “domiks”, iron containers
erected for temporary earthquake relief. In Armenia’s harsh elements,
these homes act like refrigerators in the winter; and like boilers
in the summer.
To share the story of the critical housing need, the Armenian
delegation from Habitat for Humanity, Executive Director Ashot
Yeghizaryan and Resource Development Coordinator Zaruhi Tonapetyan,
will tour several states in the U.S. in June-July: Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, California, and Florida, and will be available for meetings
and interviews. After the JCWP week, the delegation will visit Armenian
communities and churches in the U.S.
“We’re looking forward to being able to personally thank those who
have so generously contributed to the work of HFH in Armenia,” says
Zara Tonapetyan.
“We’re also excited to share our future plans to fight poverty housing
from Armenia.”
Concurrently with the events in Michigan, prominent Armenian officials
will be building a home with a family in need in Detroit City.
The tithe of all the raised funds within Armenia during these events
will be sent to Indonesia, where HFH is rebuilding after the December
26th tsunami.
“While there is a dire need to eradicate poverty housing in Armenia, we
also recognize the importance of helping those in need elsewhere,” says
Tonapetyan. “We have been praying for those affected by the tsunami,
and we hope this tithe, in a small way, will help them build hope.”
Habitat for Humanity Armenia has been working with families in need
since 2000, and provided homes for 600 people.
About the Jimmy Carter Work Project
______________________________
Since the first Jimmy Carter Work Project in New York City in 1984,
President Carter has been drawn to Habitat for Humanity’s efforts
to bring hope to people and areas others have abandoned. The Carters
have personally worked on Habitat homes that house more than 10,000
people around the world.
About Habitat for Humanity
_____________________
Habitat for Humanity is a nondenominational Christian organization
dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. By the end of 2005, Habitat
will have built its 200,000th house and more than one million people
will be living in Habitat homes they helped build.
Habitat for Humanity Armenia delegation U.S. travel schedule:
________________________________________________
June 19-24 – Michigan (Detroit, Benton Harbor)
June 25-28 – Wisconsin
June 28 -July 2 – Minnesota
July 3 – 10 – Northern California
July 10 -16 – Southern California
July 17-19 – Florida
For more information, to schedule an interview, or a meeting, please
contact:
In Armenia:
Zaruhi Tonapetyan, Habitat for Humanity Armenia
Tel: + (374 10) 556-114; E-mail: zara@hfharmenia.org
In the U.S.:
Ned Kelly, Habitat for Humanity Headquarters
Tel: (229) 924-6935, ext.2149; E-mail: nkelly@habitat.org
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