The current year is a successful one for the Hasoyan family from Mrgastan village of Armenia’s Ararat region. The years filled with hardship spent in the metal container have become a distant memory, as the 200 square foot metal container is now a storage room. The Hasoyan house is the 200th milestone house built through the joint project.
Zarineh Hasoyan, the matriarch of the family, learned about her acceptance into the housing project, implemented by VivaCell-MTS and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, by a phone call made by Ralph Yirikian, the General Manager VivaCell-MTS, earlier this year.
The heads of the partnering sides had decided to inform the families about the good news following the approval the project. After realizing who the call was from, Zarineh frankly said that she was not surprised – she had a feeling her problems would soon be solved. Her conviction doubled as the heads and staff members of the organizations volunteered in the works. Five months have passed since the initial phone conversation, and the construction of the Hasoyans new house is complete.
“Long time ago, I was concerned that as my children were growing, and my daughter was going to get married, we were still living in a metal container; and my heart would break. My daughter got married several days ago; my excitement and joy were endless, as we welcomed our guests not in the metal container, but in our home; and we did not have to be ashamed of our housing conditions. We have a home now. I am so thankful for the support,” said Zarineh.
“The programs in general require figures and numbers to refer to. This family is the 200th. That’s an important milestone to assess the ‘technical’ results and years of partnership. And yet, the moral side is more precious. Families, which have gone through years of struggle and despair, are now getting back on track for a normal life. Their smiles filled with light of hope are the most inspiring thing,” said Ralph Yirikian, VivaCell-MTS General Manager.
“In the case of this family, we brought a little innovation into our joint housing project. If, before, we were helping to finish the construction of half-built houses or do renovation works, in this case, we decided to build a house from foundation. The enthusiasm, diligence, and desire of the family to have a home were so high that the construction work was completed in five months. I am very happy for the family,” said Ashot Yeghiazaryan, Fuller Center for Housing President.
In 2019, for the implementation of the housing project, VivaCell-MTS invested almost $230,000. By the end of the year, 43 families in 10 regions of Armenia will become homeowners.
VivaCell-MTS (MTS Armenia CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator, having the widest network reach and spreading a wide range of Voice and Data services all across Armenia. Having the best of the Armenian people interest at heart since its launch on July 1, 2005 and in a short period of time VivaCell-MTS has managed to build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base. VivaCell-MTS drives innovation and aims at always being at the forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile communications market. The company follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility) and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 (Information Security Management System). For more information, visit VivaCell-MTS’ website.
Mobile TeleSystems PJSC is the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment services in one of the world’s fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group services over 100 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and Belarus. Since July Y2000, MTS’ Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group can be found on their website.
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 development. Since 2008 the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has assisted over 800 families. For more information, please visit FCHA’s website, or email us at fcarmenia@fcharmenia.org
