Microfinance allows father to provide a happy childhood and future security for family
Ohanyan Arkadij, 43- father
Kazaryan Amalia, 36- mother
Ohanyan Azniv, 71- grandmother
Children- Ohanyan Rafik, 18
Ohanyan Grisha, 14
Ohanyan Misha, 6
Ohanyan Ararat, 5
Ohanyan Ashkhen, 1-the only girl in the family
Misha, the third of the Ohanyans’ five children, has tanned skin and dark hair. His big, almond-shaped eyes with long and thick eyelashes and a timid smile make him look very sweet and rather shy. He always seems to be considering something that no one else could know or understand. In contrast to Misha, his younger brother Ararat is curious and very energetic. A mischievous smile brightens up his face every time he speaks and his dark brown eyes sparkle contrasting with his fair skin and short blond hair.
Despite the differences, the two seem to get along together pretty well. They spend long days playing ball in the backyard, enjoying warm weather and the wonderful view of green mountains outside their village of Artsvanik in the South of Armenia.
Yet people’s life in this village is not as bright and beautiful as it’s surroundings.
Artsvanik is only a few kilometers away from the town Kapan and during the Soviet times most of its residents were employed at the town’s numerous industrial enterprises or worked at the local collective farm.
In the years following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the region’s economy has suffered a drastic degeneration caused by the country’s political and economic transition, the war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabach and the economic blockade. Many factories and plants have closed, leaving thousands of people unemployed, with virtually no means to support their families.
The Ohanyans’ 43-year old- father Arkadiy, , was lucky to keep his job at the Tatev power plant, but his salary of 35,000 drams (less than US$ 80) was hardly enough to fill the family’s needs.
Arkadiy and his wife Amalia, 36, had to support their four young children. Their eldest son, Rafik, 18 joined the army last spring.
Arkadiy has lost his father in a car accident when he was only 7 years old. He had to start working at the age of 13 in order to help his mother to feed his brothers and sisters. Now he takes care of his mother Azniv, 71; his four siblings have left the country in search of better living abroad.
“I have always been a hard worker,” Arkafiy says. ”I tried to do as much as I could to support my family.”
Arkidiy owns 2.8 hectares of land where he plants wheat and barley, but the meager crop is used only for the household needs. “I’m happy if I gather enough wheat, so that my children won’t be hungry,” Arkadiy says.
Most of the farmers who received land after the breakdown of collective farms are only able to cultivate part of their land and the yield is hardly enough to cover basic family needs. Development of modern and highly productive agriculture in this region requires significant investment.
Arkadiy’s wife Amalia stays home taking care of children, cleaning and making food for the family. The water tap is in the yard, outside the house, and every day she has to bring in several buckets of water. Common household chores like washing and cleaning become a challenging task, and especially in the cold winter.
In October 2003 World Vision started an Area Development Program in Kapan with funding from World Vision office in Switzerland to help improve the well-being of vulnerable children and their families. World Vision’s projects focus on children’s health, education and leisure, infrastructure rehabilitation and income generation. Presently the ADP includes 24 communities in Kapan area, and 1000 children ages 3-11 participate in child sponsorship.
Misha and Ararat are sponsored since 2006; they have undergone an annual health check-up that World Vision provides for all children in the program.
“We never visited a doctor for a check-up before, only in case of emergency or when someone was very ill. Now I feel more secure for my children, I know that they are healthy, ” Amalia says.
In September 2006 Misha will go to school. World Vision has renovated the school’s cloakroom and the sports hall in order to provide children with appropriate facilities and to create conditions for their physical development.
For Misha and Ararat the words “World Vision“are associated with joy and fun. Last December they took part in a Christmas celebration organized for all children in the village, and received Christmas presents- GIK clothing and sweets.
The brothers are too young to join 300 children, who will spend summer vacation at World Vision’s Christian summer camp in Gandzasar resort, but they have heard many exiting stories from older children in the village about the last year’s summer camp. They are already looking forward to going to the camp next year.
The family also benefits from other World Vision’s activities in their village.
Last year Arkadiy became a member of and agricultural group and receives a loan from SEF international-World Vision’s MFI.
With the loan of 250 000 drams (US$ 580), he bought several pigs. Selling his livestock later allowed him to pay back his loan, to cover basic household expenses and even buy a new TV for the family.
In spring 2006 Arkadiy received the second loan of 350 000 drams ( 800), which he also plans to use for buying animals for breeding. He has already bought a cow.
“We needed a cow so that the children would have enough milk especially in wintertime,” says Arkadiy. Currently, he has a cow, 2 calves and 3 pigs and plans to further expand his livestock.
With the money received from meat sales he wants to renovate his house, which is old and is not suited to accommodate a family with five children. The rooms are dark and damp, and the walls have not seen fresh paint for many years.
Arkadiy is a very responsible person and realizes that without hard work it is impossible to get things going. “Before taking a loan every farmer should consider how he is going to pay it back. Other farmers from our group often ask me how to better spend that money,” he says.
Arkadiy admits that without World Vision’s support his family situation would not improve. “It’s impossible to do something with an empty pocket. There is no door to knock on and ask for help,“ he says.
He is a very practical man, and his boys grow up learning from him. Together with his eldest son, Rafik, they have carved a monument in a stone in memory of their villagers, who died in Karabakh war. His other son, 14-years-old Grisha, is the one who helps his father to take care of animals and work in the garden. He also learned how to make shoes and last winter helped to make warm slippers for the entire family.
Misha and Ararat also try to lend a helping hand, though for them it is fun rather than a hard work. Together they are trying to weed vegetable patches or are chasing a pig that sometimes manages to escape through a hole in the fence.
“You should always watch over this pig, because it always tries to run away and play in the mud,” smiles Ararat, pointing to the pig now lying lazily in the puddle of mud at the end of the street.
Having grown up without father, Arkadiy tries to give his children as much parental love as he can. “I love spending time with them, we play and have fun together. Sometimes it look like they are in charge and I’m the youngest one in the family,” he jokes.
“I’m proud of my sons. For me they are the best children in the entire world. They help me more that anyone else,” Arkadiy says.
His dream is to establish a small business in the village,a production of construction materials. “Everything I do, is for my children, When my sons grow up I want them to learn some crafts and help me manage our own business.” he says. He is now sure that some day his dream will come true.
Kazaryan Amalia, 36- mother
Ohanyan Azniv, 71- grandmother
Children- Ohanyan Rafik, 18
Ohanyan Grisha, 14
Ohanyan Misha, 6
Ohanyan Ararat, 5
Ohanyan Ashkhen, 1-the only girl in the family
Misha, the third of the Ohanyans’ five children, has tanned skin and dark hair. His big, almond-shaped eyes with long and thick eyelashes and a timid smile make him look very sweet and rather shy. He always seems to be considering something that no one else could know or understand. In contrast to Misha, his younger brother Ararat is curious and very energetic. A mischievous smile brightens up his face every time he speaks and his dark brown eyes sparkle contrasting with his fair skin and short blond hair.
Despite the differences, the two seem to get along together pretty well. They spend long days playing ball in the backyard, enjoying warm weather and the wonderful view of green mountains outside their village of Artsvanik in the South of Armenia.
Yet people’s life in this village is not as bright and beautiful as it’s surroundings.
Artsvanik is only a few kilometers away from the town Kapan and during the Soviet times most of its residents were employed at the town’s numerous industrial enterprises or worked at the local collective farm.
In the years following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the region’s economy has suffered a drastic degeneration caused by the country’s political and economic transition, the war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabach and the economic blockade. Many factories and plants have closed, leaving thousands of people unemployed, with virtually no means to support their families.
The Ohanyans’ 43-year old- father Arkadiy, , was lucky to keep his job at the Tatev power plant, but his salary of 35,000 drams (less than US$ 80) was hardly enough to fill the family’s needs.
Arkadiy and his wife Amalia, 36, had to support their four young children. Their eldest son, Rafik, 18 joined the army last spring.
Arkadiy has lost his father in a car accident when he was only 7 years old. He had to start working at the age of 13 in order to help his mother to feed his brothers and sisters. Now he takes care of his mother Azniv, 71; his four siblings have left the country in search of better living abroad.
“I have always been a hard worker,” Arkafiy says. ”I tried to do as much as I could to support my family.”
Arkidiy owns 2.8 hectares of land where he plants wheat and barley, but the meager crop is used only for the household needs. “I’m happy if I gather enough wheat, so that my children won’t be hungry,” Arkadiy says.
Most of the farmers who received land after the breakdown of collective farms are only able to cultivate part of their land and the yield is hardly enough to cover basic family needs. Development of modern and highly productive agriculture in this region requires significant investment.
Arkadiy’s wife Amalia stays home taking care of children, cleaning and making food for the family. The water tap is in the yard, outside the house, and every day she has to bring in several buckets of water. Common household chores like washing and cleaning become a challenging task, and especially in the cold winter.
In October 2003 World Vision started an Area Development Program in Kapan with funding from World Vision office in Switzerland to help improve the well-being of vulnerable children and their families. World Vision’s projects focus on children’s health, education and leisure, infrastructure rehabilitation and income generation. Presently the ADP includes 24 communities in Kapan area, and 1000 children ages 3-11 participate in child sponsorship.
Misha and Ararat are sponsored since 2006; they have undergone an annual health check-up that World Vision provides for all children in the program.
“We never visited a doctor for a check-up before, only in case of emergency or when someone was very ill. Now I feel more secure for my children, I know that they are healthy, ” Amalia says.
In September 2006 Misha will go to school. World Vision has renovated the school’s cloakroom and the sports hall in order to provide children with appropriate facilities and to create conditions for their physical development.
For Misha and Ararat the words “World Vision“are associated with joy and fun. Last December they took part in a Christmas celebration organized for all children in the village, and received Christmas presents- GIK clothing and sweets.
The brothers are too young to join 300 children, who will spend summer vacation at World Vision’s Christian summer camp in Gandzasar resort, but they have heard many exiting stories from older children in the village about the last year’s summer camp. They are already looking forward to going to the camp next year.
The family also benefits from other World Vision’s activities in their village.
Last year Arkadiy became a member of and agricultural group and receives a loan from SEF international-World Vision’s MFI.
With the loan of 250 000 drams (US$ 580), he bought several pigs. Selling his livestock later allowed him to pay back his loan, to cover basic household expenses and even buy a new TV for the family.
In spring 2006 Arkadiy received the second loan of 350 000 drams ( 800), which he also plans to use for buying animals for breeding. He has already bought a cow.
“We needed a cow so that the children would have enough milk especially in wintertime,” says Arkadiy. Currently, he has a cow, 2 calves and 3 pigs and plans to further expand his livestock.
With the money received from meat sales he wants to renovate his house, which is old and is not suited to accommodate a family with five children. The rooms are dark and damp, and the walls have not seen fresh paint for many years.
Arkadiy is a very responsible person and realizes that without hard work it is impossible to get things going. “Before taking a loan every farmer should consider how he is going to pay it back. Other farmers from our group often ask me how to better spend that money,” he says.
Arkadiy admits that without World Vision’s support his family situation would not improve. “It’s impossible to do something with an empty pocket. There is no door to knock on and ask for help,“ he says.
He is a very practical man, and his boys grow up learning from him. Together with his eldest son, Rafik, they have carved a monument in a stone in memory of their villagers, who died in Karabakh war. His other son, 14-years-old Grisha, is the one who helps his father to take care of animals and work in the garden. He also learned how to make shoes and last winter helped to make warm slippers for the entire family.
Misha and Ararat also try to lend a helping hand, though for them it is fun rather than a hard work. Together they are trying to weed vegetable patches or are chasing a pig that sometimes manages to escape through a hole in the fence.
“You should always watch over this pig, because it always tries to run away and play in the mud,” smiles Ararat, pointing to the pig now lying lazily in the puddle of mud at the end of the street.
Having grown up without father, Arkadiy tries to give his children as much parental love as he can. “I love spending time with them, we play and have fun together. Sometimes it look like they are in charge and I’m the youngest one in the family,” he jokes.
“I’m proud of my sons. For me they are the best children in the entire world. They help me more that anyone else,” Arkadiy says.
His dream is to establish a small business in the village,a production of construction materials. “Everything I do, is for my children, When my sons grow up I want them to learn some crafts and help me manage our own business.” he says. He is now sure that some day his dream will come true.
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