HFH Armenia Beneficiaries, Rind, Vayots Dzor, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

Yesterday’s Armenia Now reports that Habitat for Humanity have started up construction again now that the spring is here. The organization helps families with sufficient income enough to pay back an interest free loan to build their own home or complete those they’ve already started. I blogged extensively about Habitat for Humanity last year when I documented their work in Aghavnadzor, and especially Gavar for an exhibition that was launched to mark the final phase of the Karekin II Catholicos Work Project.

Anyway, Habitat for Humanity are particularly successful in Armenia in part because of the interest in such activities from Diasporan Armenians who volunteer to take part in the construction activities usually through their churches. Of course, that’s not to say that foreigners don’t come to get involved. As with other countries that Habitat work, they do. There are also some local volunteers too.

Volunteers of different ages and professions from Armenia and United States came to the village specifically to help rural families to raise their house, representing Habitat for Humanity international organization which provides long-term, non-profit loans for the contraction of the houses. While the organization deals with legal issues, the volunteers put their backs to the task of getting up houses.

The Aronyan family is one of the three families being supported by Habitat for Humanity in Khor-Virap and is one of 297 families’ who have benefited from the Armenian office of Habitat throughout the country. The organization has allocated 3 million dram ($8,500) to complete the works on the house which the Aronyans started to construct 10 years ago.

“For 10 years each year we were managing to go little ahead,” says Sahak Aronyan, the head of the family of five.

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“Already hopeless we learned about the organization which provides loans for 20 years. We applied and it worked. We hope to finish by August,” says Aronyan who currently with his family live in the basement of his relatives’ house.

The Armenian Habitat for Humanity supports community development in the country by assisting in building and renovating decent and affordable homes. Homeowner families are chosen by Family Selection Committee according to their need and ability to repay a loan.

The full article is here, and some of my posts and many more photographs taken last year of HFH Armenia working in Aghavnadzor and Gavar, which includes links to additional information, click here.

Gyumri, Shirak Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2005

As of today, Habitat for Humanity are exhibiting some of my photographs for the next 2 weeks at Yerevan’s The Club. The photographs were recently exhibited at an event to launch the Catholicos Karekin II Work Project which Zarchka blogged about here.

Half constructed buildings, volunteers of all ages with tools in their hands, faces of an extended family members full of hope to live in normal shelters, smiles of innocent children… Those are dumb witnesses of the unlimited love people may have for their work and humanity in general.

Anyway, many of the images on display are posted under the HFH category on this blog. Donations to Habitat’s work in Armenia can be made throughout the period of the exhibition or via their web site.

Gavar, Gegharkunik Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

Well, finally the Habitat for Humanity Catholicos Karekin II Work Project in Gavar is over and today the new apartments that will serve as homes for 24 families were blessed as is customary in Armenian tradition. Not the first event of this kind that I’ve photographed this year, but as it was a mass blessing it will probably be the last for some time.

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Gavar, Gegharkunik Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

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Gavar, Gegharkunik Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

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Marriott Armenia Hotel, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

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Aghavnadzor, Vayots Dzor Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

Eight-year-old Gayane Hovhannesyan lived with her parents and older brother in a domik for more than 10 years. Her father works at a petrol station while her mother works at the local kindergarten. They started construction on their home in 2004 and were selected as an HFH Armenia family in 2005. Their house is now completed and was blessed by a priest from the American-Armenian Diaspora this summer.

Finally the work I’ve done for Habitat for Humanity in Armenia is complete, and 40 images have been printed for display at next week’s special event to launch the last phase of the Catholicos Karekin II Work Project. As I think HFH Armenia are interested in attracting as many people as possible to the event I thought I’d post details here.

HFH Armenia cordially invites you and a guest to a celebratory reception with honored guest His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II in recognition of the first annual Catholicos Karekin II Work Project. The reception will take place at the Marriott Armenia Hotel on 4 September 2006 from 3-6 pm.

Please contact Zaruhi Tonapetyan for more information or to RSVP. If you’re in Armenia next week come along although the images should be on display at other locations later. Talking of which, some of the work I shot for HFH Armenia is here. There will be 38 images presented at the exhibition held during the event.

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HFH Armenia Garegin II Work Project, Gavar, Gegharkunik Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

Before shooting off to do some work for an exhibition to be sponsored by the Tufenkian Foundation during September as well as an article and photo story for Eurasianet and the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), an update on work for Habitat for Humanity Armenia.

Habitat for Humanity Armenia is a non-governmental, charitable organization that supports community development in the Republic of Armenia by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action.

Last week I went to the Gavar site of the Catholicos Garegin II Work Project to grab some last images of the construction of apartments for families currently living in rented accomodation. The project should be complete by the second week of September.

The Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians invites you to participate in the Build on Faith event to be held in His name in Armenia September 5-9, 2006.

The build will take place in northern Armenia, near Lake Sevan. During just one week, volunteers from Armenian churches and Diaspora worldwide will build homes alongside future Habitat homeowner families from the community. Our goal is to complete 37 homes, symbolizing each Diocese and one for the Holy See, representing the Catholicos of all Armenians.

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HFH Armenia Beneficiary, Gavar, Gegharkunik Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

After last month’s Hetq Online exhibition comes news of another, but this time for Habitat for Humanity in Armenia. The exhibition will be held as part of their Catholicos Garegin II Work Project and is set to kick off at the Marriot Armenia Hotel on 4 September 2006. More details about the project are available here.

The build will take place in northern Armenia, near Lake Sevan. During just one week, volunteers from Armenian churches and Diaspora worldwide will build homes alongside future Habitat homeowner families from the community. Our goal is to complete 37 homes, symbolizing each Diocese and one for the Holy See, representing the Catholicos of all Armenians.

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Gavar, Gegharkunik Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

Yesterday saw another visit to the Gavar site for the Habitat for Humanity Catholicos Karekin II Work Project. Another team of volunteers from the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United States were working on site, and after speaking to one of them I discovered that they’re posting accounts of the experience so far.

July 14

We got up today, put on our Habitat for Humanity t-shirts, and boarded the bus. After picking up the other Armenian youth group we’re working with in Ashdarak, we headed to Oshakan to begin our first day of work. Once in Oshakan, we had a short church service and Habitat Orientation. We watched a short video about the kind of work Habitat does and the difference our work makes on the people whose houses Habitat builds. We were then sent to begin our new project. With our work boots and gloves on, we began removing yellow paint off the walls of an old house. Four people got to work on the roof. Their main responsibility consisted of scraping rust. By lunch, most of us were covered in yellow paint and the break was very welcomed. While working, we were also interviewed by several different Armenian media companies and we were even asked to sing in front of the camera while working. When lunch was over, half of us went to Edesia, where we had to peel wallpaper off the walls of an old house. The other half stayed in Oshakan and continued doing the work we all began that morning. The two groups reunited and we returned to Yerevan for a free evening.

July 15

Today, we went to the Gavar worksite, where we all together were responsible for passing buckets of gravel and sand up to the roof of a three-floor apartment building. About four people stayed at the bottom to shovel the mix into buckets and then sent it up the long line of us until it reached the roof. After working for a while, we had lunch. When lunch was over, we went to a nearby church called the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary and said a prayer. When we got back to Yerevan, we had free time for the rest of the evening.

July 16

This morning, we got up and went to Etchmiadzin for Badarak. The two-hour service seemed long at parts, but we were given priority seating on each side of the altar. When the service came to a close at the Mother See of the Armenian Church., which was built 301-303, we were given a little bit of free time. Then, we had an appointment with Vehapar. Armenian Church Choir Organization joined us at this meeting. He greeted us and expressed his appreciation for our work in coming to Armenia and embracing our heritage. During this meeting, such topics were brought up, such as the importance of the Armenian Church for our identity, the challenges of the Armenian Church, the role of women, youth, and education, and the Church’s relations with other churches worldwide. We also had an interactive discussion, where we were given the chance to ask whatever questions we desired.

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July 17

Today was another Habitat workday. We went back to the Gavar worksite and continued to move buckets of gravel and sand up several flights of stairs to the roof of the three-floor apartment complex. We stopped for lunch. In the afternoon, we finished moving one pile to the roof and got stared on another. We returned to Yerevan for the evening.

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Rind, Vayots Dzor, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Habitat for Humanity 2006

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