Habitat For Humanity Armenia
Yerevan 0037, Cholakyan street, No.38
Tel: (+374 10) 246 023
Cell (+374 91) 206 468
Email: [email protected]
His Holiness gave his blessing to the "Catholicos Karekin II Work Project"
2007
Under the motto "Building on Faith", with renewed hope of eradicating
poverty housing from Armenia, the Habitat for Humanity-Armenia kicked off
the second annual "His Holiness Karekin II Work Project" at the Etchmiadzin
Gevorgyan seminary, Tuesday, April 10. His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos
of all Armenians, blessed the opening and called on Armenian Apostolic
Church members to take up the mantle of helping lift an estimated 40,000
families across Armenia out of poverty housing.
The Church must reach out to the neediest people, the Catholicos
said to some 100 volunteers, church members, government leaders and other
humanitarian aid workers gathered at the opening ceremony. Working together
and with the help of God, the Church and Habitat for Humanity-Armenia can
make a positive difference in the lives of people struggling to provide for
their families, he said.
For His Holiness Karekin II Work Project, the Catholicos has
called on the estimated 8 million Armenians living outside their motherland
to assist Habitat for Humanity-Armenia in completing 37 half-built homes to
lift these families out of poverty housing. The homes are remnants of the
economic collapse Armenia experienced in the early 1990s in the wake of a
devastating earthquake, a war and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Haroyan family in the village of Khor Virap will be the first to host a
work team during the 2007 construction season. The couple and their three
children have resided in a neighbor’s basement for seven years.
"We all understand well that family is the foundation of
preserving our nation; the stronger our families, the stronger our country,"
said Norayr Voskanyan.
But too many Armenian families continue to struggle to make ends
meet, said Norayr Voskanyan, the mayor of Khor Virap. Fifty-two of the 1,200
families in Khor Virap have half-built homes. Small farming operations,
averaging one hectare (about two acres), dominate. Money is tight. This
second annual project between the Church and Habitat for Humanity-Armenia
will change that situation.
"Thanks to international and local organizations giving a hand
to the people of this land, that number will drop to 46 in Khor Virap this
year," Voskanyan said.
"Together, hand-in-hand, we are building our house on a robust foundation,
strengthening our communities with their deep roots and empowering our
homeland," added Vardan Tovmasyan, president of the Habitat for
Humanity-Armenia board of directors. He explained that the international
nondenominational Christian organization teamed with the head of the
Armenian Apostolic Church less than a year ago to host Diaspora who helped
reconstruct a 24-family apartment building.
"Thanks to His Holiness Karekin II, the project has become a tradition,"
Tovmasyan said. "We are acquiring supporters from around the world to expand
the army of volunteers helping families in need."
The Right Reverend Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, represents the church as a
director of Habitat for Humanity International. He said the goal of
completing 37 homes symbolizes the Armenian Apostolic Church’s 36 dioceses
and the Holy See of Mother Etchmiadzin. Churches and other Diaspora groups
are sending teams of volunteers between now and October to work alongside
homeowners to complete the work.
Individuals and businesses such as K-Telecom CJSC (which operates VivaCell
in Armenia) are also contributing money. As the largest local corporate
donor this year, VivaCell General Manager Ralph Yirikian said his company
realizes its corporate social responsibilities "because we are all the sons
and daughters of Christ. As a company, we are successful due to the sons and
daughters of Armenia, so we are showing we believe in the future of the sons
and daughters of Armenia through our donation to build homes for them."
In Armenia, a country of 3 million nestled in the southern Caucasus,
more than 40,000 families live in poverty housing. Over the past
decade, a devastating earthquake, conflict, the Soviet Union’s
collapse, and a newfound independence have led to economic crisis.
Thousands still live in metal "domiks", iron containers used for
temporary earthquake relief, which act like refrigerators in the
winter; and boilers in the summer. Habitat for Humanity Armenia has
been working with families in need since 2000, and provided homes for
more than 1,400 people.
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a nondenominational Christian charity dedicated to
eliminating poverty housing. It has built more than 200,000 houses; more
than one million people are living in Habitat homes they helped build and
own through low-cost, no-profit mortgages. We have positively affected lives
in nearly 100 countries around the globe.
For more information about Habitat for Humanity in Armenia, please visit:
