Food for work means mutual support for Armenian women
Twice a week Gayane Simonyan, 42, goes to take care of Gohar Ghazaryan, 80. She cleans her home, does the shopping, buys medicine and takes her out for a walk. Once every month Gayane brings food to Gohar and prepares her meal. Both women were severely affected by the earthquake of 1988 and came into each others lives when World Vision Armenia offered work for Gayane and food and care for Gohar.Twice a week Gayane Simonyan, 42, goes to take care of Gohar Ghazaryan, 80, who lives not far from her. She cleans her home, does the shopping, buys medicine for her and takes her out for a walk. Once every month Gayane brings food (flour, vegetable oil and lentils) to Gohar and bakes bread for her and prepares her meal.
Both women were severely affected by the earthquake of 1988, destroying families, livehoods and health and came into each others lives when World Vision Armenia offered work for Gayane and food and care for Gohar.
Gayane Simonyan lives with her three children. “My husband died in the earthquake of 1988, and I was left alone with three children to feed and bring up”. The following years were hard for her, with no support from the government, no work, no food and extremely cold winters. But Gayane wasn’t the one to give up. “I have struggled to provide for my children’s future, and through hardships, I was able to give them the best I could”, she says.
For years she was doing a number of jobs: she worked in a sewing factory, had to work in a boiler-house and later as a shop assistant. When Gayane first heard about “Food for Work” project she was unemployed and thought it will be a chance for her to somehow support her family.
The earthquake of 1988 in Gyumri was disastrous for 80-year-old Gohar as well: it destroyed her home, family and health. Gohar lost her husband; her sight was irreversibly damaged. “Today I’m just an old lonely woman with no means to live on”, says Gohar.
World Vision Armenia started Elderly Care and Food for Work projects in partnership with World Food Programme. The area of the implementation of the project was the city of Gyumri, a place where food and work were the most urgent need for majority, especially women.
The earthquake had left many mothers alone with their children; these women needed food and work more than anything else.
“We realized that the earthquake had left many mothers alone with their children. These women needed food and work more than anything else”, says Murad Muradyan, Gyumri ADP Project Coordinator.
The selected care workers were to meet a number of criteria. First of all, the women should have at least 3 under-aged children and live in the neighborhood of elder people they would take care of.
The first steps of the implementation of the programme were training sessions with the selected care workers. World Vision Armenia organized the trainings to teach the women to take effective and proper care of elderly people and avoid unconscious harm.
“We also used the opportunity to raise the general awareness on health issues thus protecting the health of not only old people, but also the women and their children”, says Murad Muradyan.
The project became a tangible help for Gayane. She has to visit up to 13 elder people twice a week and take care of them. In return she gets enough food to answer the basic needs of her family and even save some money.
Gayane’s children also attended Christian Summer Camp organized by Gyumri ADP and received warm clothes in winter and presents for Easter, Christmas and New Year.
“With those 50 kilograms of flour I get every month I can bake bread for the whole family and save some 15.000 drams (US$ 42) each month, plus I also get vegetable oil and lentils”, says Gayane.
Since autumn 2002 the programme served up to 820 elder people and over 360 needy women.
The implementation of the Elderly Care programme has changed Gohar’s life as well. Before, she was afraid of going out and could stay without bread and medicines for days, especially during cold winters, unless someone would visit her and maybe do the shopping. “In winter the roads are covered with ice and it is so cold outside. If I dared to go out I would certainly catch cold or break my legs. What could I do then? It’s so hard for an old, lonely woman” says Gohar.
Today Gohar has a person to rely on: Gayane is always there to help.
But today Gohar has a person to rely on. Gayane is always there and if Gohar feels unwell she can always call Gayane andask her for some medicines. She also likes to share with Gayane her thoughts, fears, and memories.
“Old people have so much to tell; they have wonderful memories, and they know good stories. Of course, food and care is important, but personal communication with the one who takes care of you is no less important”, says Samvel Poghosyan, Gyumri ADP Project Assistant.
The Elderly Care project not only provides elderly people with food and daily care, but also distributes warm clothes and shoes and organizes a number of cultural events.
Both women were severely affected by the earthquake of 1988, destroying families, livehoods and health and came into each others lives when World Vision Armenia offered work for Gayane and food and care for Gohar.
Gayane Simonyan lives with her three children. “My husband died in the earthquake of 1988, and I was left alone with three children to feed and bring up”. The following years were hard for her, with no support from the government, no work, no food and extremely cold winters. But Gayane wasn’t the one to give up. “I have struggled to provide for my children’s future, and through hardships, I was able to give them the best I could”, she says.
For years she was doing a number of jobs: she worked in a sewing factory, had to work in a boiler-house and later as a shop assistant. When Gayane first heard about “Food for Work” project she was unemployed and thought it will be a chance for her to somehow support her family.
The earthquake of 1988 in Gyumri was disastrous for 80-year-old Gohar as well: it destroyed her home, family and health. Gohar lost her husband; her sight was irreversibly damaged. “Today I’m just an old lonely woman with no means to live on”, says Gohar.
World Vision Armenia started Elderly Care and Food for Work projects in partnership with World Food Programme. The area of the implementation of the project was the city of Gyumri, a place where food and work were the most urgent need for majority, especially women.
The earthquake had left many mothers alone with their children; these women needed food and work more than anything else.
“We realized that the earthquake had left many mothers alone with their children. These women needed food and work more than anything else”, says Murad Muradyan, Gyumri ADP Project Coordinator.
The selected care workers were to meet a number of criteria. First of all, the women should have at least 3 under-aged children and live in the neighborhood of elder people they would take care of.
The first steps of the implementation of the programme were training sessions with the selected care workers. World Vision Armenia organized the trainings to teach the women to take effective and proper care of elderly people and avoid unconscious harm.
“We also used the opportunity to raise the general awareness on health issues thus protecting the health of not only old people, but also the women and their children”, says Murad Muradyan.
The project became a tangible help for Gayane. She has to visit up to 13 elder people twice a week and take care of them. In return she gets enough food to answer the basic needs of her family and even save some money.
Gayane’s children also attended Christian Summer Camp organized by Gyumri ADP and received warm clothes in winter and presents for Easter, Christmas and New Year.
“With those 50 kilograms of flour I get every month I can bake bread for the whole family and save some 15.000 drams (US$ 42) each month, plus I also get vegetable oil and lentils”, says Gayane.
Since autumn 2002 the programme served up to 820 elder people and over 360 needy women.
The implementation of the Elderly Care programme has changed Gohar’s life as well. Before, she was afraid of going out and could stay without bread and medicines for days, especially during cold winters, unless someone would visit her and maybe do the shopping. “In winter the roads are covered with ice and it is so cold outside. If I dared to go out I would certainly catch cold or break my legs. What could I do then? It’s so hard for an old, lonely woman” says Gohar.
Today Gohar has a person to rely on: Gayane is always there to help.
But today Gohar has a person to rely on. Gayane is always there and if Gohar feels unwell she can always call Gayane andask her for some medicines. She also likes to share with Gayane her thoughts, fears, and memories.
“Old people have so much to tell; they have wonderful memories, and they know good stories. Of course, food and care is important, but personal communication with the one who takes care of you is no less important”, says Samvel Poghosyan, Gyumri ADP Project Assistant.
The Elderly Care project not only provides elderly people with food and daily care, but also distributes warm clothes and shoes and organizes a number of cultural events.
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