VAZASHEN, Armenia—VivaCell-MTS volunteer staff members and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia (FCHA) team met up again recently for a “build day” in the border village of Vazashen. This time, the partners helped the extended family of the Bakhchagulyans rebuild their home, fulfilling the dream of the family’s grandmother, Zhenya Bakhchagulyan, and guaranteeing a reliable future.
A mine explosion during the Nagorno-Karabagh War had claimed the life of Zhenya’s husband and ruined their house, which still carries traces of the war. Having to raise and support five children alone made Zhenya’s dream of one day rebuilding the house nearly impossible.
Four years ago, her son Albert began rebuilding the house, but for a family that had to earn its daily bread by farming and cattle breeding only, the construction stalled. Instead, the family focused on raising the remaining three under-age sons.
Yet, with the partnership between VivaCell-MTS and the Fuller Center, the Bakhchagulyans will soon be able to live under a safe roof, and Zhenya will be an eyewitness to her grandchildren’s happiness.
“The project implemented with the financial support of VivaCell-MTS allows us to build and renovate homes for deprived families of bordering villages of Armenia, strengthen our borders, reduce migration, and improve the living conditions of the people,” said Ashot Yeghiazaryan, the president of the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia. “Giving them the opportunity of living in their own reconstructed houses is very important, as homeland begins from the home one lives in.”
According to VivaCell-MTS, the company is guided by the conviction that our compatriots living in the borderline areas are the live shields of our country, and they deserve our care and support. By the end of the year, 25 families from the borderland villages will be able to enjoy the happiness that comes with living under a safe roof. Armenia VivaCell-MTS has invested 55 million AMD and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has undertaken the implementation of the project.
The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is a non-governmental, charitable organization that supports community development in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh (Karabagh) by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent, and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to a decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. FCHA provides long-term, interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a Revolving Fund, which is used to help more families, thereby providing a financial foundation for sustainable community development. In its five years of operation, the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has assisted 286 families. For more information, visit www.fullercenterarmenia.org or e-mail fcarmenia@fullercenterarmenia.org.
VivaCell-MTS (K-Telecom CJSC) is Armenia’s leading mobile operator, having the widest 2G/3.75G/4G network reach and spreading a wide range of voice and data services across Armenia. Since its launch in 2005, VivaCell-MTS drives innovation and aims at being at the forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile communications market. The company follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility). For more information, visit www.mts.am. Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (“MTS”) is the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband, pay TV, as well as content and entertainment services in one of the world’s fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the group services more than 100 million mobile subscribers. The group has been awarded GSM licenses in Russia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Armenia, and Belarus, a region that boasts a total population of more than 200 million. Since June 2000, MTS’s Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). For more information, visit www.mtsgsm.com.
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