About PEOPLE

DATE:	25 April, 2008
FROM:	RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION OFFICE
SUBJECT:	WEEKLY UPDATE OF THE ARMENIA FUND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Dear Subscriber ,
For every Armenian, for all of us this week will forever bear the deep scars of a tragedy that shook our nation more than any calamity Armenians went through in the millennia long history, a tragedy, repercussions of which we feel to this day and will bear in our hearts as long as we live. On April 24, we pay our tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 that took the life of a million and a half of our compatriots and scattered the rest of us around the globe. At the same time, this is the day when we pay tribute to the unbreakable Armenian spirit - to the people who did the impossible to survive. Every Armenian family cherishes its own unique story of survival, of courage and heroism, of people who stood up against the murderous system of the Ottoman Empire and prevailed - saving the life of their loved ones and ensuring the future of our nation. In this week’s report, we don’t want to focus on any development project but will instead talk about people, our people who live in the border villages today and despite all the difficulties manage to survive and raise a new generation of Armenians. These people are a powerful testimony to the might of the Armenian spirit, the spirit that we share with our compatriots scattered around the world, the spirit that can and will overcome all the difficulties and once again, against all the odds, we shall prevail.
About PEOPLE
For seventeen months now Arman is in border patrol in Lori region. With most of the two year military service behind him, his is now keeping a calendar on a wall, diligently crossing out the days to December 5th when he’ll be officially free to return to his family and girlfriend Anna in Yerevan .
You may remember Susanna from one of our previous reports. She is the principal of Dzoramut community school (Lori region). Thanks to her efforts, the school now has a computer lab with six computers that she bought with the money she managed to save over three years from the tiny school budget. Her dream is to see people who have left the village return and her school full of children again.
Talking of Dzoramut School students, here are the stars of the local football (also volleyball and basketball) teams (or so they told us).
Gurgen sells wine in a small market in the village of Areni. One of his marketing posters reads: super wine for super beautiful women (the man certainly has a way with words).
Ashot is four years old and lives in the community of Sizavet in Shirak region. Interests: football, cars, cartoons and more football. Future occupation: astronaut (naturally!).
Inviting us to her home for hot coffee and walnuts (delicious combination), Anush, the wife of the mayor of Machkalashen village in Karabakh told us about their life and her children who moved to Stepanakert a year ago. She hopes that one day her sons will be able to find a job in the village and return home.
Little Alex’s family is now in Russia’s Siberia region. He lives with his grandparents who get by with the money his parents manage to save up and send from abroad. Alex’s favorite days are Saturdays when his mom calls home.
When talking about life in border villages a million problems come to the surface; the road ahead is long and uncertain. Yet the resolve and the unwavering spirit of people who live there makes us certain that every village story will have a happy ending, that every separated family will reunite and every obstacle will be surmounted on the way to a brighter future.
Get involved!: Find out how you can have your input in developing the border villages by adopting a small project or giving as little as 1 cent (yes, one cent!). Find out more. This report is also available in pdf format as well as in Armenian at Weekly Updates section of our website.