Kharberd
Specialized Children’s Home, Kharberd, Ararat Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online
As mentioned a few days ago, I went back to the Kharberd Specialized Children’s Home after being away for over a year because of work commitments. Since 2000, I had spent a lot of time photographing the kids there. I have to say, it was good to get back and not least since the children with less severe disabilities remembered me. It was also good to catch up with Dr. Balasanian, Kharberd’s Director, and celebrate the New Year over some cognac.
I first met Dr. Balasanian when he was head of Pediatrics at Massis Hospital. Although the Armenian medical system is plagued by corruption and informal payments, nobody ever had anything bad to say about him. For those that don’t know, many of the villages around Massis were inhabited predominently by ethnic Azeris during the Soviet era. When conflict over Karabakh erupted, they of course left and Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan moved in to take their place.
Anyway, although Balasanian studied in Yerevan, he’s originally from Nakhichevan and his parents came to Armenia as refugees at the end of the 80s. In a sense, I sometimes wonder if this isn’t one reason for Balasanian’s commitment to his patients and why he’s managed to turn Kharberd around. Prior to his appointment as Director in 2000, the Children’s Home was dogged by scandal after scandal. The previous director was dismissed on corruption charges.
Now, it’s in excellent shape thanks to him and support from the Diaspora as well as the wives of the current Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and former President Levon Ter Petrosian. Of course, it’s not perfect and there’s still many problems to resolve, but it is significantly better than other institutions catering for children with disabilities in the former Soviet space.
The most serious problem, however, is that of what happens to the children when they reach the age of 18. Although they should be sent to the Vardenis Psychiatric Institution, Balasanian has so far resisted pressure to do so. Basically, conditions in Vardenis are appalling, and Balasanian says that transferring the kids there is pretty much the same thing as sentencing them to death. As a result, Kharberd is over capacity to the tune of 70 kids.
Anyway, I spoke to Balasanian about my recent trip to Georgia for the UK children’s charity EveryChild. In particular, I mentioned the Georgian equivalent of Kharberd in Kaspi, and the pioneering The First Step Center in Tbilisi where disabled kids are rehabilitated and either re-intergrated back into their biological families or placed in foster care. For some of the children this is a better approach than institutionalizing them.
Obviously, Balasanian has considered implementing something similar in Kharberd although Armenians generally prefer kinship and respite care over fostering. Still, I was also encouraged to learn that Balasanian visited the United States last spring and visited some centers for disabled children there. He even made contact with some students at North Western University and some visited Armenia last summer to work voluntarily at Kharberd.
Balasanian was also recognized for his work with disabled children and received an award while he was in the U.S. Great news.
All in all it was good to be back at Kharberd and it’s obviously time to continue my project there. Actually, as I’ve already photographed there for 4 years, I’d like to publish a book of photographs taken there, highlighting the children and the need to reintegrate those with less severe disabilities back into society. The book could be used to attract more support for some of Balasanian’s future projects and also, profits could be directed towards the children.
If anyone is interested in supporting this project please contact me by email. As I said, most of the work has been done and I’d just like to shoot some additional color material. Incidently, some of the black and white material from Kharberd can be viewed online here, and there’s a photostory on Kaspi and The First Step Center in Tbilisi here.
A new photostory for Hetq Online will anyway be ready in the near future and I’ll try to post some more images on the Hetq Online Photoblog.
Dr. Balasanian, Specialized Children’s Home, Kharberd, Ararat Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online
I wanted to know if up-to-date photos were taken of some of the kids.
I believe that mental retardation, psychological illnesses, and the like are not well received by Armenians, as they think they are shameful for some reason. I have seen some beggars take advantage of their child’s fate by dragging them around Yerevan’s center, which to me is very disturbing. It is encouraging to hear that the Kharberd home is functioning properly and has the finanicial resources it needs. Such facilities are extremely important to care for disadvantaged children who have not been bestowed a fate that most children take for granted.
Comment by Christian Garbis — January 7, 2006 @ 3:30 am
Well, Kharberd doesn’t really have enough financial resources for what it needs to do although that’s not to say its in bad shape, especially when compared to other institutions in the former Soviet Union. Salaries will double this year and Balasanaian says that the 2007 budget will see more money come to the institution from the government. However, the main issue is the need to sort out the problem for the kids when they turn 18. Either there needs to be a new institution for them or reintegration for some into society and their families. Probably both are needed.
Comment by Onnik — January 7, 2006 @ 3:39 am
Onnik,
Your readers might be interested in the following website, which describes Armenia’s first group home for orphans with disabilities: http://www.helpforarmenia.org/warmhearth.html
Knarik Meneshian
Comment by Knarik Meneshian — January 7, 2006 @ 11:24 am
Hi Knarik,
Thanks for the link. Have just come back from Kharberd and saw your comment. I wonder if there’s some possibility for this org to work with more of the children from Kharberd (I noticed on the web site that at least one kid was once there before being moved elsewhere).
http://www.helpforarmenia.org/residents.htm
Time is now running out for some of the kids who will have to be moved to Vardenis.
Cheers,
Comment by Onnik — January 7, 2006 @ 5:37 pm
Onnik,
Yes, time is running out for those adolescents who will soon be transferred to Vardenis. Hopefully, though, with your piece describing the situation of these children and young people with special needs, the kinds of help needed, and the information provided on the website of Natalie Rizzieri, Founder and Executive Director of Warm Hearth, there will be more awareness of the needs of people with disabilities in Armenia.
In addition to the disabled, there is also a great need to help boys and girls, through education and training, make a life for themselves after they leave orphanages, especially young girls.
Knarik Meneshian
Comment by Knarik Meneshian — January 9, 2006 @ 9:34 am