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January 28, 2015 Wednesday
Families of missing persons renovate homes with ICRC loans
Geneva
International Committee of the Red Cross has issued the following news release:
Families of missing persons are finally able to renovate their
run-down homes, thanks to loans from the ICRC and the Fuller Center
for Housing Armenia. Seventy families have already taken advantage of
the scheme, which goes hand-in-hand with psychological support for
families who have been coping with the pain of a missing relative for
over two decades.
"Our house was a ruin. The floorboards had rotted, the foundations
were unstable and on windy days we froze," says Araksya, recalling the
state of her house just a couple of years ago. Araksya Vardanyan is
the wife of a soldier who went missing in June 1992, during the
Nagorny Karabakh conflict. She and her family had to flee during the
conflict and found shelter in a prefabricated house in the village of
Shorzha, which lies in the Gegharkunik region of Armenia. She shares
the house with her younger son and his family, and lack of funds meant
they were unable to renovate it.
That all changed when the ICRC delegation in Armenia and its partner,
the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, offered the family a loan to
help them rebuild their house.
Today, the Vardanyans stay warm and dry, whatever the weather. With
the funding provided, the family built new walls, windows and a roof,
and installed plumbing and a new floor.
Life has improved dramatically for Araksya and her family. "Now we
have a real house with solid walls, and it's warm inside. This has
made our lives so much brighter, and it's put smiles on our children's
faces," she tells us. "Now I can see a better future for my
grandchildren. I've been dreaming of this for years!"
The ICRC's programme for the families of missing persons in Armenia
combines psychological support with practical help with things like
housing. The aim is to help these families resume normal lives.
In 2011, the ICRC delegation in Armenia launched a housing assistance
project in cooperation with the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia. The
ICRC identifies families most in need of this type of assistance,
while the Fuller Center assesses their living conditions and draws up
a plan and a budget for the repair work. The ICRC and the Fuller
Center share the costs. The funding takes the form of a loan, not a
grant, but the loan is interest-free. As each family repays their
loan, the money becomes available for another family, forming a
rotating fund.
So far, these interest-free loans have helped 70 Armenian families of
missing persons to greatly improve their quality of life.
January 28, 2015 Wednesday
Families of missing persons renovate homes with ICRC loans
Geneva
International Committee of the Red Cross has issued the following news release:
Families of missing persons are finally able to renovate their
run-down homes, thanks to loans from the ICRC and the Fuller Center
for Housing Armenia. Seventy families have already taken advantage of
the scheme, which goes hand-in-hand with psychological support for
families who have been coping with the pain of a missing relative for
over two decades.
"Our house was a ruin. The floorboards had rotted, the foundations
were unstable and on windy days we froze," says Araksya, recalling the
state of her house just a couple of years ago. Araksya Vardanyan is
the wife of a soldier who went missing in June 1992, during the
Nagorny Karabakh conflict. She and her family had to flee during the
conflict and found shelter in a prefabricated house in the village of
Shorzha, which lies in the Gegharkunik region of Armenia. She shares
the house with her younger son and his family, and lack of funds meant
they were unable to renovate it.
That all changed when the ICRC delegation in Armenia and its partner,
the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, offered the family a loan to
help them rebuild their house.
Today, the Vardanyans stay warm and dry, whatever the weather. With
the funding provided, the family built new walls, windows and a roof,
and installed plumbing and a new floor.
Life has improved dramatically for Araksya and her family. "Now we
have a real house with solid walls, and it's warm inside. This has
made our lives so much brighter, and it's put smiles on our children's
faces," she tells us. "Now I can see a better future for my
grandchildren. I've been dreaming of this for years!"
The ICRC's programme for the families of missing persons in Armenia
combines psychological support with practical help with things like
housing. The aim is to help these families resume normal lives.
In 2011, the ICRC delegation in Armenia launched a housing assistance
project in cooperation with the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia. The
ICRC identifies families most in need of this type of assistance,
while the Fuller Center assesses their living conditions and draws up
a plan and a budget for the repair work. The ICRC and the Fuller
Center share the costs. The funding takes the form of a loan, not a
grant, but the loan is interest-free. As each family repays their
loan, the money becomes available for another family, forming a
rotating fund.
So far, these interest-free loans have helped 70 Armenian families of
missing persons to greatly improve their quality of life.