Volunteers to help build Armenia homes

Volunteers to help build Armenia homes

United Press International (UPI)
July 16 2005

FRESNO, Calif., July 16 (UPI) — A delegation from Habitat for
Humanity Armenia held two forums in Fresno, Calif., to raise U.S.
awareness about the housing crisis in Armenia.

The 1988 earthquake in Armenia left 500,000 homeless, and the
Azerbaijani war — combined with the collapse of the former Soviet
regime — has resulted in 40 percent of the country living in
substandard housing.

Thousands of Armenians still live in metal “domiks,” iron containers
erected for temporary quake relief that act like refrigerators in
the winter and boilers in the summer, according T.J. Cox, project
manager for the Fresno Habitat affiliate and a professional engineer.

Cox plans to lead a group from Fresno to Vanadzor, Armenia, from
Sept. 24 to Oct. 8 to help build homes in the Lori region, about two
hours from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Building will be done primarily with concrete and toof, a volcanic
stone indigenous to Armenia.

Habitat for Humanity Armenia has been working with families since 2000,
providing homes for more than 600 people.