NERKIN KARMIR AGHBYUR, Tavush—In 2012, the family of Jean-Marie Atamian, in working through the Paros Foundation’s Prosperity on the Border Project, initiated a systematic and comprehensive investment program to rebuild the infrastructure and housing stock of this important border village with a growing population of over 1,100 residents located in the Berd area of Armenia’s Tavush region. Over the course of the last few decades, this key strategic village has suffered from Azeri shelling and a lack of investment, creating both dangerous and difficult living conditions.
The first phase of the Atamian family’s redevelopment plan was to finance the complete reconstruction of the village’s infrastructure including, but not limited to, its large secondary school, expanded kindergarten, medical center, emergency services building and water distribution system. Several families have also benefited from agribusiness and animal husbandry projects.
Having completed the rebuilding of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur’s infrastructure, the Atamian family is currently focused on the large-scale reconstruction of severely damaged houses to provide quality and secure homes for deserving families. In the past two years, seven houses were rebuilt. Most recently, the village celebrated the opening of two completely rebuilt homes, one for the village nurse (Emma A.) and the other for the family of Suren G., who repatriated to the village with his wife and three young children and serves in the local police force.
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The eighth major house reconstruction project will benefit the family of Ghukas A, a hardworking villager whose family of seven includes two sons who serve in the military defending our borders. One of his sons has an infant. The family’s current house is uninhabitable and requires a complete reconstruction and expansion of its existing living space to accommodate this large and growing family. Once completed, the house will be provided with new furniture, kitchen appliances and a bathroom. The anticipated cost of the project is $30,000. At least three additional families will be the beneficiaries of this program in the coming year.
In addition to providing families with dramatically improved living conditions, these projects have created material benefits to the local economy by providing numerous long-term construction jobs and promoting the purchase of furniture and materials manufactured in Armenia.
The Atamian family acknowledges the generous support of the Strauch Kulhanjian family, who underwrites the administrative expenses of the Paros Foundation, allowing 100-percent of donor contributions to be allocated in their entirety to the sponsored projects.
