Habitat for Humanity Armenia Starts Build Season and Hosts its First Global Village Team

YEREVAN, ARMENIA, May 26, 2009 – Habitat for Humanity Armenia welcomed its first Global Village team for the 2009 build season. Eight volunteers from the United States are working with a Habitat partner family in Nshavan, a village where Habitat for Humanity Armenia launched its activities in October 2008.

During eight days, volunteers will be building alongside the family of Samvel Margaryan, homeowner who together with the family and friends invests his own labor into building his home and homes of friends and relatives.

Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program offers participants an opportunity to travel all over the world and build hand in hand with families in need of improving their housing conditions.

“Global Village is bringing together people from different backgrounds and different parts of the world by sharing and building relationships on the work site,” says Zuzka Michalidesova, Global Village coordinator for Habitat for Humanity Europe and Central Asia.

It is through partnering with Habitat for Humanity Armenia that the Margaryan family has found hope to complete the reconstruction of their home which had started years ago and seemed to last forever. “If it were not for Habitat for Humanity Armenia and the volunteers, we could not give our children a decent home,” said Asia Margaryan.

Global Village brings together international and local volunteers, Habitat families and the Habitat for Humanity’s staff for a common goal - to provide decent housing conditions for families in need of simple homes.

“For a lot of people, the Global Village program is a wonderful way to come together and learn new skills, and also learn about new cultures and make new friends,” says Shelly Whittet, team leader. “I am happy that through Habitat for Humanity our partners are able to understand poverty and good sides of life in other parts of the world.”

“Habitat for Humanity Armenia is delighted to welcome our volunteers, many of whom have traveled long distances to extend a ‘hand up’ to the family of Samvel Margaryan,” says Irina Vanyan, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Armenia. “The presence, the efforts and the contributions of our volunteers is really important for the success of the mission of Habitat for Humanity Armenia.”

During the 2009 build season, Habitat for Humanity Armenia will host five more Global Village teams who will be building in partnership with Armenian families in Nshavan.


About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global, Christian organization that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has built nearly 300,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for 1.5 million people. In Armenia, Habitat for Humanity builds, renovates and repairs houses; offers affordable home-improvement loans and advocates for affordable housing, all with partner families.