Habitat for Humanity Armenia

Staff Report

Representatives of Habitat for Humanity Armenia visited Fresno State to meet with students and to raise awareness about their organization.

Volunteers Vartan Tovmasyan, Gohar Palyan and Santa Cruz Habitat for Humanity office manager Larissa Printzian visited Barlow Der Mugrdechian’s Introduction to Armenian Studies and Armenian Language courses on Wednesday, April 23. Tovmasyan introduced students to the Global Village project of Habitat for Humanity, which enables volunteers to spend two weeks in Armenia assisting in the building and renovating of homes. In 2002 two teams of volunteer s, one from the United States and the other from Great Britain, worked in Armenia.

All of the work is done by volunteers, who also interact with the people they work with. When construction is completed, volunteers join the festivities and the home blessing. This year, 3 teams of volunteers will visit Armenia, in the months of July, August, and September. Habitat for Humanity Armenia is a non-government charitable organization that supports community development in the Republic of Armenia by assisting and building and renovating simple, decent, and affordable homes.

Habitat for Humanity Armenia was registered in Armenia on March 22, 2000 and has 90 local volunteers. They have dedicated 36 homes in Armenia, where 192 people live and are currently working on 16 more homes. Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller..

For more information on Habitat for Humanity Armenia and the Global village program, go to the www.habitat.org/gv or www.armenianhabitat.am web sites or call 1-800-HABITAT.