The lion’s share of the budget of the rural community of Lernagog is derived from credits granted by the state government. This year these credits will total 15 million Drams, which according to Village Deputy Mayor Argam Makaryan “will just cover salaries and social expenses.”

“The village has no land to collect taxes from. Only the flourmill pays any type of property tax and that’s only a tiny amount with which to solve village related issues on our own, continues the Deputy Mayor. Of course, we’re able to tackle small problems with the funds available to us and we’re given assistance to solve medium-sized issues. We do everything possible to efficiently use what resources we possess.”

During the past few years the “Children of Armenia Fund” has made large investments in Lernagog. The village school was totally renovated due to funds made available by this charitable organization. From now on the school building’s two other annexes will be used for other purposes. One has been refitted to serve as an outpatient medical treatment center and the other as a kindergarten. Due to the winter weather all construction work has been put-off till the spring. Next year the Fund will also renovate the village’s cultural center. 

In the meantime the Fund is gearing up to provide a variety of assistance to the needy families of the village. 

Mr. Makaryan told us that there are some twenty families classified as “needy” and that half of them have a large number of children.

The Deputy Mayor asserted that, “ Those families with many kids really live in poor social conditions. The Mayor’s Office helps them out every month or two either financially or with food parcels. We do what we can given our resources.”

Village resident Hayk Sahradyan says that,” I don’t deny the fact that the Fund helps out quite a bit. They’ve given us clothes and even a cow. A few years back it was the Regional Marzpet Heroyan himself who handed over a cow. But the Mayor’s Office no longer provides any type of help. They divvy up whatever funds they have amongst themselves.”

The Sahradyan family lives in a two-story home inherited from their parents. With the coming of winter all nine family members huddle in one of the first-floor rooms of the austere house.  For a month now the interior of that gray and dirty room has been heated quite unconventionally.

The stove that burns dried animal manure is only kept alight 5-6 hours per day.

Hayk Sahradyan has to buy this fuel on credit, an amount that has spiraled out of control. The family has already run up a tab of 200,000 Drams just for food at the village store. In contrast, the income for this family with seven children amounts to a mere 40,000 Drams monthly benefit payment.

The family’s mother is a housewife and the father has been unemployed since the end of the fall season. About a year ago he voluntarily quit his security job at the flourmill.

“I was doing daily guard duty for 30,000 a month. The money was a pittance and left little time for anything else,” explains Sahradyan. He preferred to work as a field hand for wealthy landowners just as long as he could work every day of the month. 

41 year-old Hayk says that, “ They would pay me 1,800 Drams a day to wield a scythe and reap the harvest. At least it was a bit more.”

His 12 year-old son Souren also had the ‘honor’ to work for the rich landowners. He would dig holes for the planting of trees and would be paid 50 Drams per hole.

“This is the state of our country. This is how they dealt with a kid working to bring some money home to his family, declares Mr. Sahradyan, adding that, “ the gas pipe runs right along the side of our house, just six meters away. It’s already been three times that I’ve asked the mayor to help out and supply our house with gas. They always tell us that they’ll take care of it but nothing’s been done. Are they waiting for the end of winter? A kid can survive by eating only greens and can sleep on an empty stomach but he won’t grow up healthy in these frigid conditions.”

Deputy Mayor A. Makaryan counters that, “ The mayor really isn’t inclined to solve the gas problem because during the Soviet era the parents were careless in the way they utilized the gas they were supplied with. Now, there’s a bunch of young kids in the house and, to put it mildly, we’re afraid for their safety.” He goes on to say that, “What’s being done for that family is ten times the norm and it’s being done at the personal expense of the mayor or other organizations. To be honest with you we’re dragging our feet a bit regarding the gas issue until the kids get older. Later on they won’t run up so much debt, and the consumption of gas is an expense as well. That debt of 200,000 Drams can easily grow into 400,000 - 500,000.”

In the end the Deputy Mayor wound up by saying that, “Yes, they’ll get their gas and the Mayor’s Office will definitely help. But given their overall situation, gas is the least of this family’s problems. Of immediate concern is their continued survival - what food will they eat, what clothes will they wear on their backs.”