There are twenty-two pupils enrolled at the Jaghatsadzor village school, Gegharkunik Marz.

Two never made it to class this year– they didn’t have proper clothes to wear.

Aleks, in the 4th grade, and 9th grader Zhenia Ter-Grigoryan, are brother and sister. Their mother, Aida, told us that the kids don’t even have clothes for daily wear.

Aida says the last time clothes were purchased for the children was the year before and that they have been worn out due to constant wearing and washing.

Zhenia really wants to go to school but was embarrassed to show up for the first day of school on September 1 with tatty clothes.

As the adults were recounting the difficulties they face, five year-old Narek was seated on the couch, playing with his toes sticking out of his socks with holes.

There are eight in the Ter-Grigoryan family – mother, father and the six children. The eldest son has been serving in the army for the past three months.

Aida says that the family’s only source of income, their welfare allowance, was cut off six months ago.

The social services agency says that there are problems with the family’s residency registration papers.

Gagik Martoyan, Secretary at the Jaghatsadzor Municipality, told Hetq that the family had been temporarily registered in the village for ten years but that the entire village had received registration in the past month. Thus, he sees no problem for the family to have its allowance restored.

Vardenis Social Services promised Aida that they would restore the allowance in the next few months. It remains a mystery why the administrators only recently “remembered” the temporary registration and cut the needy family’s allowance. It’s incomprehensible given that the Ter-Grigoryans had been receiving about 45,000 AMD with such a registration and that nothing has changed in the family.

That sum was hardly enough to even but some dry bread on the table for the children to eat. Now, without any allowance, days go by without even any bread to eat. Boiled potatoes are the staple diet.

Aida says that neighbours have chipped in with flour after seeing the condition of the family. The village mayor’s office has also helped out with some flour now and then.

The family has never applied to the Gegharkunik Regional Authority for assistance.

“We haven’t gone that route. We are afraid that something might happen to us if we do,” Aida says.

When I asked Aida who she is afraid of, the mother simply shrugs her shoulders.

Aida says that her husband Grigor has serious health issues. Give that he cannot perform any heavy work, he takes a few cows from neighboring villages up to the mountains for grazing. Grigor gets paid 5,000 AMD a month for each head of cattle he tends to. Recently, he’s been caring for ten.

Grigor has to tend to the cattle for three months. The family has already taken the money in advance to feed the children. Aida doesn’t know what they will do for the winter months.

There’s a fortress of dried dung pile up in the yard of the rickety Ter-Grigoryan house. Aida says it’s the only winter fuel they use. Wood is too expensive. The dung is from the cattle that Grigor takes to graze.

The family owns no livestock of its own. This year, Aida purchased fifteen chicks to raise. Aida says that it’s possible to raise cows in the village, dairy cows are too expensive. The mother says that she could feed the children milk and yogurt if she had a cow.

Last year, the roof of the house caught fire from flames emanating from the stove. A charitable organization and the village mayor’s office jointly rebuilt the roof and replaced the windows. Burnt pieces of wood are still visible inside, however. The ceiling of one of the rooms can collapse at any time, since it remained suspended after the fire.