VAZASHEN, Armenia—In August 2018, Armenia’s Hetq news agency reported on Armenuhi Hakobyan and her family from Vazashen, a village in Armenia’s Tavush Province – just a few hundred meters from the Azerbaijani sharpshooters and artillery placements. Being so close to the border, and with so many residents having difficulty making ends meet, life in Vazashen is very challenging.
For the last 15 years, the Hakobyan family had been living in a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a dilapidated building, located at the entrance of the village. The housing conditions were very poor. There was no gas, and, during rainstorms, water would pour down from the roof. Climbing up and down the stairs was dangerous. The problem was not only the condition of the building that could collapse anytime, but its location at the entrance of the village, which was under direct target of the enemy. There were traces of old and new gun shots on the walls of the building. The family had to cover the windows that are on the enemy’s side, so that the lights in their home do not make them an enemy target. It was a miracle that the family had survived in that building for as long as they did. Due to a lack of money, they could not afford to buy a house deeper in the village, or in one of the neighboring villages. As if living in these conditions is not difficult enough, Armenuhi’s husband was forced to find work in Russia to support his family. She said her family felt like they didn’t have a way out of their situation.
When the Armenian Missionary Association of America-Armenia learned about the Hakobyan family from Hetq, they reached out and assisted the family by purchasing a house for them in the village, as well as building materials to make the necessary repairs. As a result, the family’s father returned home from Russia and began working toward repairing their home. By the first quarter of 2019, most of the repairs were completed. AMAA’s act of charity had a dual effect. The family now has a safe house and the father is back home from Russia, living with his family again.
The AMAA expresses its gratitude to the donors who, with their generous support, enabled the Hakobyan family to overcome their living conditions, and to live both safely and comfortably.
