Marine Meloyan from the town of Spitak was only 27-years-old when she lost her husband, one of her children, and was left homeless as a consequence of the earthquake in 1988. For 30 years, following the disaster, Marine lived in a cylindrical metal container. Yet, she has not lost hope, endurance, and optimism for the future. Her grandchildren, who are being raised in the same metal container, will not have to face the hardships their father, Marine’s son, went through. Marine’s years of sufferings are in the past now, thanks to partner organizations, VivaCell-MTS and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia.
The Meloyans became a beneficiary of the housing project at the beginning of the year. After only a few months, the family celebrated a housewarming and hosted the heads and teams of the supporting organizations in a completely renovated stone house.
“Words will never be enough to describe how happy I am. My son’s childhood and my youth passed in a metal container. Over the years, we have barely been able to put stone on stone and build a roof. With the same pace, it would take us another 30 years to have a home. But today, our main concern is to furnish our home, which we enjoy. Thank you!” said Marine.
“When the housing budget for this year was approved, we decided to tell about their inclusion in the program by a surprise phone call. We made the call together with the President of Fuller Center for Housing Armenia Ashot Yeghiazaryan and it was all recorded on a video. I can vividly recall the happy voice on the other side of the line, with the speaker on. I must confess that absolute happiness embarrassed me for a bit of a second. And it seemed to me there was no surprise in the voice. But then it occurred to me as we spoke that faith in these people, that one day their problem will be solved, is so strong that they are very reserved in expressing their happiness. It is a pleasure to state that one more family has now overcome the long-lasting problem. We are happy to see people rise from [their] knees,” said VivaCell-MTS General Manager, Ralph Yirikian.
With the support of VivaCell-MTS and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, in all regions of Armenia, over 200 families living in metal containers, half-built houses or basements have been supported. Only in 2019, VivaCell-MTS invested 109 million AMD for the implementation of the housing project.
“Our main goal and mission are to do our utmost to help those families who live in tough conditions. The story could have been repeated in the life of this family. Seryozha’s, father’s childhood, has passed in a metal container, and his children were growing up there. I’m glad that this vicious circle is finally broken. Every family should have a roof over its head,” said Ashot Yeghiazaryan, President of Fuller Center for Housing Armenia.
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 1st July 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 the 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 2000, 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 online.
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 about 800 families. For more information, please visit the website or email us at fcarmenia@fcharmenia.org
