VANADZOR. – The U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern, the Ambassador of Lithuania to Armenia, Mr. ErikasPetrikas, more than 20 volunteer members from U.S. Embassy on Saturday participated in the ‘’Embassies Build’’ event organized by ‘’Helping Hands’’ and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia aimed to help build homes for eight vulnerable families who have been living in metal containers for more than 26 years.
It was a day of big celebration, a day of unusual excitement in the Taron 3rd district of Vanadzor city, Lori region. Many volunteers of different ages and nationalities teamed up to help build the homes of 8 families who had been living in metal containers almost a quarter of a century.
The participants did the concreting of the floors of the multi-apartment building making a real difference in the lives of those 8 families. One of the family’s, the Voskanyans’ home is partially sponsored by Burns Supper of the Armenian British Business Chamber. The program aimed to assist the families living in these temporary shelters started in 2008 with the trilateral partnership between the Armenian Relief and Development Association Charitable Foundation, Vanadzor Municipality and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia. As a result already 47 families live in their own decent homes, and this year 8 more families will enjoy that happiness.
‘’My family and I have been living in a metal container for many hopeless years. The bad living conditions have affected my son’s, Avetik’s health; he is ill with hydrocephalus and has had three surgeries. After few years he should be operated twice again. I couldn’t even dream that one day I will have my own decent home. Now I see how my dream and the dream of people like us is coming into true. We are so happy that our children will live in better conditions… We are grateful to this program and to all these people who became a helping hand for us in building our dream home,’’said the future resident of the Taron 3rd district, TatevikVoskanyan, whose home is partially sponsored by the Burns Supper of the Armenian British Business Chamber.
“The U.S. Embassy established three years ago as a volunteer community service organization called Helping Hands. Our Armenian and American employees and family members have worked with outstanding organizations such as Fuller on several occasions and look forward to the opportunity to help the people of Vanadzor,” said U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John A. Heffern.
‘’It is everyone’s cherished dream to have a decent home to live in and especially for these people who have lived in deteriorated metal containers without any necessities for many years. It is our duty and domain to help our compatriots,՛՛ said the president of the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, AshotYeghiazaryan.
By the end of the year the construction of the multi-apartment building will be completed and the families will move to their new decent homes.
Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is a non-governmental, charitable organization that supports community development in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to a decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. FCHA provides long-term, interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a Revolving Fund, which is used to help more families, thereby providing a financial foundation for sustainable community development. Up to now the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has assisted 350 families.
