WEEKLY REPORT
The Armenia Fund Rural Development Program
Governmental Building 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Sose Amirkhanian
Tel: + (3741) 56 01 06 ext. 107
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
15 February, 2008
The Armenia Fund Rural Development Program Weekly Update
15 February, 2008, With St. Valentine’s Day just behind us and the
Presidential elections fast approaching, this week we are truly caught in
the middle of the two great powers – love and politics. Nevertheless, we
will resist the temptation to stray away and are determined to stick to our
core topics. So, this week’s topics are: the Rural Development Program
working trip to Karabakh (with a little something extra) and yet another
small project coming to life. In the spotlight of the meet the people
section is Sevan Varteressian, who made the latest small project possible.
RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM VISIT TO KARABAKH
On February 11, the Armenia Fund Rural Development Program staff made a
three day working trip to Karabakh. The aim of the visit was on the ground
assessment of the situation in some of the border villages.
The revitalization of the border villages of Karabakh is very much in the
focus of the Rural Development Program and while the challenges we face are
comparable to the ones we have in Armenia, the magnitude of the work to be
done is significantly larger. Where in Armenia we are working on reviving
the infrastructure damaged by the lack of maintenance and a turbulent
transition period, in Karabakh we are dealing with places directly and
painfully affected by an armed conflict.
While the capital Stepanakert is a rapidly developing, vibrant city, the
rural areas still very much bear the heavy marks of war. The road through
these villages is a powerful testament to the extent of the devastation. A
lot has been done both by the governments of Armenia and Karabakh and
organizations like the Armenia Fund yet the signs of war are not easy to
erase and there is still a long way to go to ensure the people of Karabakh a
normal life.
As part of our trip we visited several border villages in Karabakh’s
Martakert region. The economic development and market access are serious
issues that need to be tackled in these communities as the roads that are
the lifelines of commerce are almost nonexistent: in the wintertime, these
villages are virtually cut off from the rest of the world; all that the
people there can do is hope that the winter will not last too long.
In the village of Mokhratagh we had a very personal experience of what it is
like to try to get somewhere without a road. Our car (a Niva – Russia’s
(inadequate) answer to Jeep) was trying to make its way up a steep hill,
which wasn’t an attempt at extreme tourism but simply the road to the local
community administration. For half an hour, the car was sliding, turning,
getting stuck and performing all the associated actions except for moving
forward. Only thanks to the help (and valuable advice) of the community
members and the efforts of our driver (he should do off-road racing!) were
we finally able to reach our destination point, (follow this link to catch a
bit of the action for yourself). For us this was a one time occurrence, for
people living here this is everyday life.
What really stays with you after the trip to the villages is the admiration
with the people who live and try to build their lives there. Deprived of
almost everything that is taken by us for granted, these people are full of
resolve to carry on. Their spirit is unwavering and they have great hopes
for a better future for themselves and their children. Our job is to do
everything to make sure that their hopes become a reality.
YET ANOTHER SMALL PROJECT COMES TO LIFE
The launch of the small projects by the Armenia Fund was met with a lot of
enthusiasm by people from all around the world. This enthusiasm materializes
into specific projects coming to life. The latest project will see Lori
region’s Dzyunashogh community library receive a computer and a printer.
The project was made possible by Mr. Sevan Varteressian from the US. With
the funds already transferred, we were able to go on and purchase the
necessary equipment and will deliver it to the border village in the
beginning of the next week.
The community of Dzyunashogh met the news with excitement. In fact, the
community made the decision to undertake the reconstruction of the local
library with their own resources. In a place where there are scores over
scores of unsolved problems, this kind of a decision is a strong statement
and an indicator of just how important this kind of projects are for the
community.
The Dzyunashogh community school will also receive furniture as part of the
Armenia Fund joint project with Hay Dproc Foundation.
MEET THE PEOPLE: SEVAN VARTERESSIAN
This week, our spotlight is on Sevan Varteressian, who made possible the
realization of the Dzyunashogh community library computer/printer small
project. Mr. Varteressian and his wife Miganoosh have been closely following
the progress of the Rural Development Program through our regular updates.
This is what Mr. Varteressian told us in a short interview:
"My wife and I are glad to have been of help for a good cause. Once an
Armenian is aware of the difficulties of his country people, it will take a
cold heart to refuse help. Your reports are instrumental in providing vision
of our country people.
>From the three programs that you had offered, the computer program was most
attractive as an informative, organizational and educational tool,
especially for the children. I hope it will have Internet connection for the
people to have an understanding of the world.
And why we chose Dzyunashogh? Since we haven’t been to those villages,
because it had the most beautiful and unique name. We hope the children will
take advantage of our help to advance their knowledge and skills and become
successful people and in turn to help others."