one week in Armenia

Meeting the people of the farm Zatikavan, social project, where I worked last year for 7 month.

It is a long report about a very intence week.

It was a long journey to come here from southern Turkey through Georgia to see the beautiful people at the farm again, 20km north of Yerevan, and the director Ashot plus his secretary Naira, working in Yerevan to support 3 projects for people in deep need.
With me I had 308€ donation. 108€ came from a sponser from Scandinavia and 200€ I had kind of saved from donation which came from supporters of my peace walk and work. This is kind of a 10% money, what I do consider not be mine. But also some money what you give away normally during Ramadan which I did this year. All the money I wanted to donate to a single mother (A) with her 5 children, who is again pregnant.
But before arriving in Yerevan I was wondering how to do it best, because there are also so many others in need. Calculating my finances I considered some kind of uncomfotableness in my belly, because there is not so much on my account, but I was determened to offer this Euros to the family in need.

Then the story began.

You must know. On this farm there is a generell income from around 100$ a month. Sometimes a little bit more. So the financial conditions are very hard.
I went out of the minibus 20 km before Yerevan to walk the 1km towards Zatikavan. Wonderful snow scenery. At least -10 degrees. People here live partly in containers. Out of different reasons, violence in the family, war in Karabach, or having been a grown up orphans with now a family and no work.
This farm surrounding is shining, in my eyes it’s a juwel, which is not really recognized. The people are really loveable.
Araik (13) saw me first, asking Thomas? Yes. He is running toward me. Big welcoming hug. Followed by greeting his family A.

The director is also expected in some minutes. Nowone somehow did read me plans on facebook. Surprise.
From family A I learn, they have the last cowshit brics from last year, which I did, in use. This year no-one did any more brics (27 people live on this farm-16 children). We invested last year 800€ in having a storage room for the brics. And the farm manager developed a bric press mashine, we sponsered with 600€. He is supertalented to create and weld from old metal best usable things. But we had to buy for this 600€ some parts to make it possible. The mashine is working now, but does not have a conveyor belt yet.
So the brics can be recieved after pressing manual in a showel to lay out in the hot dry summer on the ground.

I hear that the oldest daughter, now 16, is still not going to school. Last year we had a big arguing for weeks that she needs to go to school. The truth is that the mother wanted her to take care of the younger children. This year the mother said as an explanation she ’school is over now‘. To the same time she likes to find a sponsor for her, because she wants to be a designer. Cost 360€ a month at a private school.
On top. Mother A produced a lot of pickles and compott this year. Delicious. The glasses standing on a very cold place and a lot of them seem to exploit soon this week because of the cold.

The director arrived. We went over to the house of the managers family ‚B‘. The director bought some weeks ago 20 huge bags of potatoes. To his surprise, there are all gone. Someone left the door of the storage room open, everything frozen…..

There is a dept of 800$ for electricity. No-one knows how to pay that bill.
I am invited to sleep at the house of family ‚C‘. In the morning, after everyone left the place, I realize beside the oven there are 3 electroheaters running, during there absence also in the both sleeping rooms.

After the next night, sleepless, I am convinced to give no money to family A. I contact the sponsor from Scandinavia and got full support for my decisions. Family A has not a single Armenian dram left.

The director recieve 50€ for buying again potatoes and onion. He will get 125kg for it. For all the community.

Another sleepless night. Another visit on the farm. I stayed then in a Hostel in Yerevan. Further solution: Every family in the farm, the directors and the sectetary family, the Rainbow house (another social project) and two other places become dry fruits and candles for Christmas – 110€.
One member gets 20€ for reading glasses.

There is one more ongoing repetitive topic. The hay. Every year they spend tausands of dollars for hay. Because of dryness in the summer hay is very expensive in Armenia. Only one hayharvest a year. The farm has a huge property and had a lot of own hay. But this is not enough for the 25 cows and 10 or more pigs. Actually there is a bill of 2500$ open. At least for a while, until finances get maybe more stable I feel, there is only one way to solve the problem. Reduce the animals to a number, where they can be fat by own hay. That has consciously to sink in for a while.

At the second last evening I am again on the farm. (More pickle glasses where broken in the frost.) I visit mainly family A and C. From them and all other members I recieve waves of warmness and very touchable love love love. Everyone wants me back on the farm …… But in the near future. .. peace walking towards east…

I very much love this people. And it’s a very special place. It’s a paradise ….

And I am still sure I have done the right desicions. And no belly pain anymore.

At the last morning I understand, the animals have no water since 2 days. Pipes are frozen. I am walking through the sunny snowy mountains towards the next village. Eating snow. I love that so much. Oooh. That’s maybe a solution. The animals could eat snow, too. The director calls the farm to start this experiment…..

No one has a clue how busy this special situations kept me the whole week ….

Now on the way to Jordan. Towards the ‚Valley of Peace‘ where Mohammed, the founder, announced that I AM the Christmas present there… no clue if I can answer this big expectations…..

Thanks for reading.

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