‘Catholicos Karekin II Work Project’ Begins -- Volunteers to help eradicate poverty housing in Armenia

YEREVAN, Armenia (April 6, 2007) – Paint brushes, trowels, and hammers will swing into action next week, as building begins to lift 37 families from poverty housing in Armenia.

The second annual “Catholicos Karekin II Work Project” kicks off in Armenia April 10. Volunteers from around the globe will descend upon Armenia, to build homes side by side with homeowner families, local sponsors, volunteers, dignitaries, and monks from the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“The Armenian Apostolic Church is delighted to launch this event once again with Habitat for Humanity. It’s not only a celebration of people coming together to help families in need, but it’s also an important step toward removing the blight of poverty housing in Armenia,” says Archbishop Vicken Aykazian of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

During building events around the country from April through October, 37 homes for families in need will be completed in Armenia, symbolizing 36 worldwide Dioceses, plus the Holy See. His Holiness, Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians, is expected to bless the event’s official opening at the Etchmiadzin Gevorgyan seminary on April 10.

Churches and individuals are challenged to fully sponsor, or to contribute to a home. The Catholicos Project Family Sponsorship Cost (FSC) for 2007 will be $7,360, which is an average of renovations, half-build homes, and new builds.

The first building event kicks off with a volunteer team coming from the U.S. Volunteers will be finishing “half-build” homes, many of which were left unfinished after the economic collapse in the early 1990s in Armenia. Nearly half of the country still lives in poverty conditions.

The Haroyan family of the Khor Virap village is the first selected among the 37. Sahak, 43, and his wife Piruza, 36, are vegetable farmers, currently residing in a neighbor’s basement with their three children, aged 18, 16, and 14. Economic strife forced the family to the basement for seven years, as they have been unable to raise enough funds to complete their own home. Piruza suffers rheumatism in her legs due to the humidity. “If you help us we will finish and move to our new house by the next winter,” Piruza tells a visiting Habitat team.

The Armenian Church signed a historic partnership with Habitat for Humanity in April 2006, aimed to combat poverty housing in Armenia, and worldwide. The first “Catholicos Karekin II Work Project” was held in Gavar, Armenia, where a building was renovated for 24 families, with an additional 13 homes being built around the country.

In Michigan in 2005, the Catholicos participated in the annual home blitz build, the Jimmy Carter Work Project, where he met with President Carter. Following that, the Catholicos gave his blessing for a home-building event to be created and held in Armenia.

In Armenia, a country of 3 million nestled in the southern Caucasus, more than 40,000 people live in poverty housing. Over the past decade, a devastating earthquake, conflict, the Soviet Union’s collapse, and a newfound independence have led to economic crisis. Thousands still live in metal “domiks”, iron containers used for temporary earthquake relief, which act like refrigerators in the winter; and boilers in the summer. Habitat for Humanity Armenia has been working with families in need since 2000, and provided homes for more than 1,000 people.


About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a nondenominational Christian charity dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. It has built more than 200,000 houses; more than one million people are living in Habitat homes they helped build and own through low-cost, no-profit mortgages. We have positively affected lives in nearly 100 countries around the globe.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity in Armenia, please visit:
www.hfharmenia.org

For information on the Catholicos II Work Project, please contact:
At Habitat for Humanity in Armenia:
Gohar Palyan, gpalyan@hfharmenia.org , +374 10 55 6114

At Habitat for Humanity Area Office in Budapest:
Dominique Schärer, dscharer@habitat.org , +361-411-2170