YEREVAN WOMAN PROVIDES FOR 16 HOMELESS CHILDREN
By Tom Vartabedian

6/08/yerevan-woman-provides-for-16-homeless-childr en/
June 8, 2009

YEREVAN-Unlike the fairy tale about the old woman who lived in a
shoe with so many children she didn’t know what to do, Larissa offers
quite the contrary perspective.

In her case, she’s picked up 16 children off the streets of Yerevan
and given them a loving home.

It may not be the Ritz but it offers comfort and security. All have
been adopted and regardless of her age (68), there’s always the urge
to provide more.

What’s more, this is no fly-by-night operation or whimsy. She’s been
a surrogate mom for 27 years and has no intentions of ever stopping.

"They are the children I never had and all are very near and dear
to me," she confessed. "Some of them came to me from birth. Others
were a bit older. When I see a child who’s alone, I want to bring
that youth home."

Since 1983, Larissa (no last name given) has provided for 33
children. She’s touched the gamut in age from 10-38. At the moment,
there are 10 inside her residence, including three grandchildren.

"They come from the streets of Yerevan and different orphanages,"
she noted. "I live in a modest home. What little I have is passed on
to others."

I heard about Larissa from a couple different sources who make regular
runs at the Artbridge Coffee Shop. People come here and exchange
small talk. I was looking for "the ultimate story" and Larissa’s name
came up.

"She’s the one who deserves some credit," said Araz Artinian,
a prize-winning videographer whose films "The Genocide in Me" and
"Twenty Voices" have received universal acclaim.

"Larissa is one amazing woman," added Artinian. "Everyone in Yerevan
knows the good heart she has with children, but nobody else. She’s
somewhat of a quiet heroine."

We met at the Ani Hotel by Abovian Street and she was accompanied by
a 12-year-old named Gourken. The child added further corroboration
to the interview. He’s one of those who arrived very early in life.

Like Larissa, he has an aptitude for math and loves to draw.

"People think she’s my grandmother but that’s wrong," said
Gourken. "She’s my mother and will always be my mother, no matter
how old she is. I don’t look at age. I look at love."

Many children have a variety of issues, whether it’s poverty, illness,
or abuse. Some of them are at wit’s end before they arrive at Larissa’s
safe haven. Others came to her from the earthquake of 1988.

She adopted her fist child in 1982. A two-year-old arrived in 1984
and on and on it went. During the Soviet regime, she began receiving a
subsidy from the government, which felt homeless children were better
off inside a home than wandering the streets of Armenia.

Since independence in 1991, she’s gotten some assistance but more from
concerned citizens around town. Once older, the children have provided
a helping hand for their "brothers and sisters." Also assisting her
cause is Rev. Aram Stepanian of Whitinsville, Mass., whose congregation
has made a habit of supporting indigent children in Armenia.

Larissa is hardly a nonentity, despite the absence of a surname. She’s
attended two universities and holds degrees in physics and
cinematography.

Her husband died at age 32 with a stomach disorder six months after
their wedding, leaving her childless. She worked the factories of
Russia for three years before returning to her native Yerevan and
working 25 years inside the cinema studios for $10 a week.

"They were not easy years," she admitted. "All along, I wanted to
raise children of my own as a widow and decided the best way to fill
that role was to reach out to the deprived. When I see a child who’s
alone, I want to provide my home. I will care for the children of
Armenia until the day I die."

An outside group sat around the hotel bar enjoying a cocktail when
Larissa turned to them and proudly proclaimed, "I have 16 children."

They looked at the gray-haired woman in amazement and someone replied,
"Sixteen children? You are a very rich person indeed."