Armenia calls for international volunteers

Habitat’s Global Village program organizes two teams of volunteers to participate in builds in Armenia this summer. Among those seeking help is the Geghamyan family from the Sardarapat village.

Manouk Geghamyan, a construction worker, and his family have been living in poor conditions for 14 years. Home they call a construction with the roof and four walls made of metal and covered with wallpaper. It is impossible to warm it in winter and in summer the heat is unbearable. This was meant to be a temporary shelter, until the family completed a new home. However, it turned into 15 years and hope was nowhere in sight. Then Manouk was qualified to get a Habitat loan to buy materials for the completion of a decent home for his family.

“It is still hard to believe that we will finally have a normal home of our own. You should have seen the excitement of our friends and neighbors when we started building the roof,” says Manouk, for whom working on his house is the greatest joy. “For so many years we all have been sleeping in this damp and narrow shack. I can’t wait to see my children sleeping in a decent bedroom of their own,” says Narineh, Manouk’s wife, and you can spot tears in her eyes.

Now each day brings Geghamyans closer to their dream home. This summer the old shack will be history with the help of our volunteers.

If you are interested in joining one of our GV trips to Armenia or to any other country, please check the schedules on our Global Village site www.habitateurope.org/gv.