State Assistance May Be Cut Off Two weeks into the new school year, Ishkhan Zeynalyan hasn’t been to classes because he lacks proper clothing. The boy’s father, Simon, has asked the school principal to let his son skip classes until he gathers up enough money to buy the clothes needed. Simon Zeynalyan is the breadwinner of a family of fifteen in the Aygek village in Armavir Marz. There are 7 boys and 5 girls in the family. Simon’s 79 year-old mother Teresa Harutyunyan also lives in the house. One of the bys is now serving in the army. With seven children of school age, Simon is at his wit’s end to make ends meet. Just having enough money for school books is a major task since the school only covers the cost of such items for one of the children. Simon’s wife Gohar wasn’t at home when we visited so he described the family’s dire situation. When Simon spoke to us about their problems, many of the kids left the room out of shame. Village mayor says family situation not that bleak Last year, the mayor of Aygek allocated 50,000 AMD in assistance to the family which they used to buy school clothes. This year, however, no one has offered such help. Aygek Mayor Varuzhan Abrahamyan told us that many have assisted the family and that their situation isn’t as bleak as Simon paints it. “Their kids wear the best clothes in the village; even better than my kids. Come to the village in the evening and see how Simon’s eldest son is dressed to parade around in. When exactly was it that they came to us for help and we didn’t respond? Nothing of the sort ever happened,” said Mayor Abrahamyan. Simon responded by saying, “Yeah, many can say that my children are the best dressed, but they don’t know the entire picture.” He claims the only income the family receives comes from one cow and calf, plus the 76.000 AMD in state aid. His mother receives a monthly pension of 16,000 AMD. Neither Simon nor the older boys have jobs. Even when temporary work is available, they avoid getting hired, afraid that the state will cut off their assistance. My kids can’t work because they’ll cut our aid “What’s tragic is that the kids can’t work. They say that they will cut off the assistance if they do. People are wary of sending their children off to work. They don’t take into account that the work is temporary and will only last a few days. People around here just can’t understand what has become of this country,” says Simon. Mayor Abrahamyan says that Simon’s boys occasionally find work at private concerns now and then and that the Regional Administration allocated the cow to the family as a supplemental source of income. Simon confessed that he never thought of having 12 children. “I would tell my sister – are you crazy having four boys? Then I got married. We went through the earthquake and war years. The Armenian people suffered great losers. I had decent work back then. We decided to have many children,” Simon told us. Simon graduated from the Polytechnical Institute. He then built a nursery hothouse and started raising flowers. The business was such a success that he was able to financially assist his relatives. The good times lasted till 2002. His debts started to grow and Simon was eventually forced to sell the hothouse. He planned to reopen the business when conditions improved. They never did. Approaching winter presents problems As winter approaches, the family is concerned regarding rumors that gas prices will rise once again. Even if they don’t, the family can hardly pay for the gas they use during the winter months. “They should at least charge families like us half for the gas. We spend 25-30,000 of the 76,000 just for gas. We won’t be able to pay it this winter,” notes Simon. The family has taken out a loan in order to heat the house and not freeze. However, their electricity is sometimes cut-off due to unpaid bills. The Zeynalyan family house is old and the walls are cracked. During the winter, the family of fifteen packs into two rooms for warmth. Grandma Teresa says that they only use the heater on the coldest of days. “The government gives me a pension of 16,000. What can I do with that? In some months, the pension money never arrives. They take out money for the electricity and gas. Nothing is left.” Local soldiers help themselves to grape crop The Zeynalyan family owns a 9,000 square meter field where they grow apricots and grapes. This year the apricot crop has totally damaged by frost. The grape vines are located next to an army base and most of the crop winds up in the hands of the soldiers. The family estimates that the grape crop should have been 5-6 tons last year but they only wound up with half a ton. “Most is eaten by the soldiers. You don’t expect me to stay on guard all day and night to prevent them from eating my grapes, do you?” asks Simon. When I asked if the large family had gotten help from state agencies, Simon answered that last year the director of VivaCell had donated one million AMD in assistance. “We have so much debt to pay that when the creditors learn that we have a few cents they come and demand to be paid. It all goes to paying off the debt,” says Simon. The Armavir Regional Administration also financially assisted a few years ago. MP Arakel Movsisyan now donated 8 loaves of bread to the family every day; just enough for the breakfast meal. Boys decline to be interviewed From the beginning of the year till now, the family has purchased 40,000 AMD worth of wheat flour. They still haven’t paid the amount owed. The family has racked up 2 million in debt at the village shops for food and clothes. Despite the debt, the Zeynalyans have taken out a 300,000 loan. The elder sons of the family refused to be interviewed. Only 16 year-old Tevan agreed to talk to us on condition that no photos be taken. He graduated high school this year and doesn’t even consider continuing his education. Tevan says his father wants him to go for a career in the military but that he flatly refuses to do so. Tevan wants to get a job but refuses to even look for work since the family’s 76,000 AMD aid allotment would be cut off even if he got paid a few thousand. The boy spent a few years in the village boxing club and achieved some serious successes. He won some medals and awards in various competitions but no longer pursues the pugilist sport. There isn’t enough money for training. A pair of boxing gloves and safety helmet just cost too much. When the younger kids heard that I would be taking pictures they ran into the other room to change into their best clothes.