At a session of the Shirak Regional Council held in the provincial town of Amasia this past November 18, Gevorg Hovakyan, mayor of the tiny rural hamlet of Jradzor, made the following peculiar request of Shirak Regional Governor Lida Nanyan. Mayor Hovakyan, half-jokingly asked, “Mrs. Nanyan, won’t you please rebuild our village? I am ready to change its name to “Lida”, in your honor.

Residents don’t want to leave, but it’s no longer possible to live there.” Jradzor was populated by refugees fleeing Basen in the 1820’s. In the Soviet era the village boasted some 600 residents. Today, only 296 remain; 75 families. 80% of the housing stock lies in ruins. The 100 year-old houses just couldn’t withstand the shocks of the 1988 earthquake that jolted the area. Residents, whose houses had been destroyed, moved into those still standing. “69 families in the village are in need of houses. 18 families live in temporary shelters or huts. After the earthquake, they built houses in other villages that I really don’t believe needed them. But what can you do. Our village wasn’t included in the project. We live with our back against the walls, facing the elements. They could at least pay some attention to our needs as well. It’s not like we are foreigners here,” says Mayor Hovakyan. Village slated for relocation due to reservoir Back in the 1980’s, there was talk about building a reservoir at Kaps on the Akhurian River. It was quite an extensive scheme and there were plans to transfer entire communities so that new roads could be built. The reservoir project was of particular concern to the residents of Jradzor. Villagers stopped building new homes because the village lay smack dab in the new reservoir site. A directive had even been drawn up to relocate the village. New Jradzor was slated to be built some 5-6 kilometers from the soon to be submerged original community, near the village of Gtashen. The 1988 earthquake put a stop to the building of the new reservoir and thus the need to relocate the village. Mayor Hovakyan has been a tireless campaigner for the rebuilding of the village; without much success. The Regional Governor has proposed the construction of one building to house the village’s destitute families and to resolve the problem once and for all. “How can they say such a thing,” says the mayor, shrugging his shoulders, “Show me just one piece of even land in this village where they want to build. We’re not an urban community where residents can get by without a barn or stable.” $900,000 will solve the housing problem The mayor has calculated that if the national government grants each family in the village $15,000, people will be able to build their own homes. “It’s a question of $900,000. If the wealthy individuals in this country would be a bit more accommodating and finance the project the burden wouldn’t fall on the government,” states Mayor Hovakyan. “I mean, our folk don’t want to leave the village either. But there’s no place to live. There’s a family of 14 here in the village that’s crowded into the one house. The young folk don’t get engaged because they have no place to set up a family. You need a place to raise a family, right?” On the advice of the mayor, we head off to see the Adamyan family. On the one hand, Vahagn Adamyan, the family patriarch, doesn’t mind that he is surrounded by his seven children, their spouses and grandkids. On the other hand, we realizes that it’s hard for young people nowadays to adhere to the traditional Armenian family structure; to accept that everyone must live under the one roof. “14 people in 3 rooms…I’d call that crowded” “It gets a bit crowded having all 14 of us under the one roof. I was forced to get hold of a small hut so that one of my boys and his family could at least sleep in some privacy,” says Mr. Adamyan, cracking a smile. “I have 6 boys and a girl, 2 daughters-in law, three grandkids…ain’t it enough? Four of the boys will soon marry but there’s no place for them to live. I don’t want them to leave the village. But what bride will come to stay and live in a three room house with so many people?” This year one of the Adamyan family members went abroad for work and returned with a small sum of savings. Mr. Adamyan took the money and went to Gyumri, looking for a home to buy. He didn’t find any. “I want to write a letter to the government. What advice would you give me?” asks the 54 year-old father. “Should I write and say that six of my boys have served in the army of this country with honors? Should I ask why this same country hasn’t lifted a finger to help me out; at least with the housing issue?” People bathe in basins and they talk about the European Union? Natalya, Vahagn’s wife, is also somewhat dissatisfied with the government. “I’ve given birth to seven children. We didn’t see a dime’s worth of assistance back then. But now, when the children have all grown, they should at least pitch in a bit. People wash themselves in basins, they have no showers. They have to walk to the outhouse in the snow and rain. And they talk about us entering the European Union? With a mere 2 million AMD in government subsidies plus the 2.1 million in community revenues, Jradzor can just about afford to fix the streets and clear the snow away come winter. Mayor Hovakyan hands what little’s left over to the village school to stage a play or other event. This 4 million isn’t nearly enough to begin to put a dent into the serious issues the community faces. Even the mayor had been living in a temporary shelter for the past 12 years before purchasing the home of a family that left the village in search of a better life. When Gevorg Hovakyan was elected mayor in 2002 he entered office facing 18 million in back wages owed various municipal employees. He was obliged to pay the arrears. “Four years ago, the former mayor and municipal staff went to court demanding their salaries. The court found in their favor. I was forced to save every nickel available and take it to the Compulsory Enforcement Service,” Mayor Hovakyan states. “The former mayor never collected any taxes but wrote himself down for a 100,000 AMD salary every month. In the end, he got paid all he was owed. I, on the other hand, only get paid 30,000. To make matters worse, I’ve been able to boost tax collection to 63%, but I cannot show a penny of assistance given to this village of mine.”