Neighbor’s generosity helps single mom with three daughters live “normally” Sona Sargsyan and her three daughters have been living in a “vagon” (temporary hut on wheels) for the past seven years. They have gotten used to living in such conditions and never dreamt of once owning a house of their own with warm stone walls in the winter rather than cold metal ones. A house that would not turn into a veritable blast furnace in the summer; you know, a normal home where the kids wouldn’t have to complain about the insects and assorted creepy-crawly things inside. Sona got married in 1992 and a year later moved to Russia with her husband Tigran. They owned a house there with some land. They raised some animals on the land. It was a good life. Tigran was a construction worker and was able to fend for his family. Their three daughters, 16 year-old Mariam, 15 year-old Lyuba and 10 year-old Karineh, were born in Russia. Tigran died of cancer in 2003. Sona was only able to sell off the livestock and with the money she and the girls relocated to Armenia. They left the land and house behind since there were problems with the documents that she couldn’t straighten out. With the money she had, Sona purchased the “vagon” and had it set up on a piece of land opposite her father’s house in Etchmiadzin, right on the main road in town. The Etchmiadzin Municipality allocated the 240 square meter site to the family as a gift. The property was never fenced off and the toilet was located right on the street. One of her neighbors, taking advantage of the fact that the site wasn’t fenced off, erected a small play area with benches not far from the bathroom. The place became a gathering spot for the men folk of the town to play backgammon and chess. Another of Sona’s neighbors took it upon himself to fence off the property, seeing that it was inconveniently located and that anyone could walk right through. He mentioned his idea to Sona. A month later, this man, who wishes to remain anonymous, handed Sona a document. “We were pleased that our property would be getting a fence. A while later, he handed me a document and I saw it was the blueprint of a house, not a wall. We had no idea; it was a real surprise to us all. Now we are just overjoyed that we live in such good conditions that we have never seen in Armenia nor could we have dreamed of,” Sona told Hetq. The generous benefactor doesn’t wish to reveal his name. He argues that by disclosing his identity the true meaning of charity is lost. His daughters and Sona’s were childhood friends and often played around the “vagon”. The girls would tell their father about the miserable conditions their friends were living in. One of the daughters of the benefactor is especially close with Karineh, who said that her friend never let on that her father planned to build a house. “But now that they are building it, she says she will come over to the new house every day to play,” says Karineh, who has already decided what her room will look like. She wants the walls to be painted either pink or blue; with matching curtains naturally. The outer walls of the new house are already standing. Construction should be completed by next year. It will have a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and a balcony. “This is all something of a riddle to me. I never asked him for any help because I never had any hope that someone would show up and actually do so,” says Sona. Sona has already pasted a ‘For Sale’ sign on the “vagon”. They want to get rid of it, and the memories it holds, as soon as possible. Last week, the family has moved in with Sona’s sister; waiting for the day that they will finally get the house of their dreams. Sona says she has never worked outside the home, but as a single mom with three adolescent girls to look after, she has to find some outside employment to make ends meet. She‘s found odd jobs as a cleaning lady in the homes of the town’s wealthier residents. The children receive state assistance given that their father, the breadwinner of the family, has passed away. But such aid totals 60,000 AMD per month (about $163). The mother of three says, “I don’t buy every type of food or clothes, just to stay within budget and get by. Otherwise, the money would run out by the 15th of every month. Sure, there are many problems. The girls will be going back to school soon and that costs money also. But I don’t want me and the girls to be burdened with these concerns. I want this period to pass as carefree as possible. God is great; fortune will smile upon us,”