A concrete floor, a half-built building without utilities, and the hardships of raising two small children in a damp and small room… This is how the Harutyunyans from Syunik region have lived for 25 years. The young couple has tried to make life easier trying it hand in many directions. The homeowner, Artashes, who got serious problems in the first Artsakh war in the 1990s, has tried to turn the semi-built building into a normal house. Although he did not succeed, the family has not lost its hope in better days ahead. The desire to strengthen the native village of Lor filled with the spirit of Hamo Saryan has become one of the serious reasons behind Artashes’ optimism.

 

The family involved in the housing project of Viva-MTS and the “Fuller Center for Housing Armenia”, started house construction works in summer. Despite of the pandemic that did not let the partners to support the Harutyunyan family through volunteer activity, the necessary support had been provided consistently. The dream home of the family from Syunik has been built freeing them from the burden that persevered over years. The hostess, Ophelia waits for the return of her son, who conscribed for war in Artsakh as a volunteer this fall, to make the last very small additions and say goodbye to the current year.

 

“We started the construction works in summer. For a moment, due to the virus and then the war, we stopped working for a while. There was no mood to work, but consciously, we started. Let's hope that everything will be fine in the country and people will be happy. There is very little work left… My son will come back, and we will finish. We all lived in the same room. Now my children have their own rooms. They have chosen the wallpapers themselves. And we, as a couple, finally have our own room. Not to speak about the bathroom we never had. We have been waiting for 25 years to fulfill our dream. One should hope, have belief, and work to achieve the dreams. One should never lose hope,” said the hostess Ofelia Asryan.

 

The newly built house has all the amenities. Instead of  one room they had before the family now has a bright and comfortable four-room house. There is a great desire to host guests in the enlarged area. The homeowners hosted one of the desirable guests, the General Manager of Viva-MTS through a video call.

 

“Time schedule and circumstances kept me physically away, but it is the result that matters most. Now you have the house you had been dreaming of. My request to you is to never limit the notion of ‘home’ with the place, where you live and sleep. Cherish your village, your land, your Homeland with the love in your hearts, with the work in your orchard, in your thoughts, in your deeds and in your dreams. It is our shared home and united we shall care for every single corner of our motherland. Challenges will be overcome where there is unity, faith and commitment to making our dreams come true by work. You have managed to achieve your dreams after 25 years of anticipation. Keep your devotion and your love alive by sticking to your land,” Viva-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian said.

 

After the July war, Viva-MTS increased its investment as much as possible to provide maximum support to the “Fuller Housing Center of Armenia” to support families facing housing problems. Over AMD 230 million have been allocated. Instead of the 37 families announced at the beginning of the year, 96 families will overcome the house building or renovation problems this year.

 

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