Building a Decent Place for Children -- Habitat for Humanity 1
Building a Decent Place for Children
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Global Village team members in front of the home of partner family in Nshavan.
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Volunteer Miriam McFadden improving the home of the Habitat partner family in Nshavan.
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This May, Habitat for Humanity Armenia welcomed its first Global Village team for the 2009 build season. Eight volunteers from the United States were working alongside families in Nshavan, a village where Habitat for Humanity launched a new national organization last year.
For many years, Samvel Margaryan was in what seemed to be an endless attempt to make his family house a decent and healthier place to live. He built the house for his wife Asia, two children, Knarik, 8, and Vilberdik, 4, and their grandmother Knarik. With the little money borrowed from local banks, usually at a very high interest rate, the family replaced windows, the floor and other bits and pieces in the house. However, the roof was almost falling down and cracks in the walls became bigger.
Through partnering with Habitat for Humanity, the Margaryan family has found hope to complete the reconstruction of their home. “Thanks to Habitat for Humanity Armenia and all the volunteers who have traveled so far to help us, we will finally give our children a normal place to live and grow. Otherwise, we could not give our children a decent home,” said Asia Margaryan.
For eight days, the team of volunteers helped the Margaryan family and their friends with the renovations. They travelled from various parts of the USA and had different backgrounds. However, all had one common goal – to offer a “hand up” to Armenian families in need of a simple and decent home. Global Village gives its participants an opportunity to travel all over the world and build hand in hand with families in need of improving their housing conditions.
“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 the good parts of life in another part of the world.”
“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, who joined the team in Armenia for a few days.
If you want to learn more about Habitat’s Global Village program or join one of the teams, please click here.
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