Let’s All Help the Beginyan Family Before Winter Comes

The Beginyan family lives in Aygehovit, a village in Armenia’s Tavoush Marz. Souren and his wife, Hratzin, have three boys and three girls. Souren’s mother, who receives a 35,000 AMD pension, also lives with them. This amount, coupled with the 55,000 AMD they receive in child support, makes up the monthly family budget.

“Can a family of nine live on 90,000 AMD ($250) a month?” Souren asks. Do the calculation. Each person is thus allocated 333 AMD, or less than $1 per day. Maybe it’s just enough to feed a person, but what about clothes and other daily basics?

“With so many kids around, I have to do the laundry round the clock. There’s detergent and soap to buy. It all adds up,” says Hratzin. She says that since the children have no shoes they often don’t go to school. At one time, Souren worked as a driver. Now he’s unemployed. He owns some land but says it’s not fit for growing anything. “It’s a 1,500 meter strip of rocky land. We’ve let it grow over with grasses. Let’s see what happens.” After the birth of the sixth child the Beginyans received a one-time allowance of 430,000 AMD from the government. They immediately used the cash to pay all their debts.

The family also received some assistance for their last child through the Ororotz (Cradle) Project, which supports newborn children in Armenia’s impoverished regions. “We haven’t received help from anywhere else,” says Hratzin. The 1988 earthquake damaged the wall of the family’s house. Over time the tiny cracks grew into much larger gaps that travel right through the structure. Naturally, a family solely getting by on a pension and a state allowance is in no position to even consider a major renovation of the house. In the meanwhile, the wall cracks are getting bigger and present a real safety threat. It will take 600,000 AMD* to fix the problem. Two of the house walls must be demolished in order to reinforce the underlying supports. Then, 60 square meters of new wall will have to be built.

Winter is quickly approaching. The problem is a simple one to fix. However, if help doesn’t arrive soon, all six Beginyan children will have to face yet another winter huddled in a home that affords little protection from the icy winds and cold temperatures outside. The project to reinforce the Beginyan house will be a demonstration of public goodwill and support. Such a project is extremely important given the neglect shown by the authorities and the politicized approach to charity by various “benefactors”.

The greater the number of participants, the more impressive the final result will be of this civil initiative to lend a helping hand. If 1,200 individuals each contribute 500 AMD (just $1.40), or if 600 individuals give 1,000 AMD, this housing issue, neglected for so long, will quickly be fixed. This large Armenian family will finally have a decent place to call home. Those wishing to contribute should write to: [email protected]. Make sure to leave your full name, phone number and the amount you wish to donate. You can direct your questions and suggestions to Tigran Paskevichyan (091-46-32-39) or Satenik Faramazyan (094-16-80-09) Let’s hurry, winter will soon be here. The six young Beginyan children anxiously await our assistance. Estimated Costs Construction Materials Stone - 144,000 AMD Cement - 81,000 Sand - 30,000 Crushed rock - 30,000 Reinforcers - 27,000 Reinforcement Wire - 11,000 Plaster - 30,000 Wages Stone Mason - 120,000 Laborer - 60,000 Unplanned for expenditures - 67,000 Total Project Cost - 600,000 AMD