Victoria Burnazyan, EcoLur for A1+
13-year-old Arman inhabiting in Sotq Village is a disabled person: his right arm is crooked. His mother Tamara grows her two children alone, at the same time she takes care of her old mother bedridden. Nobody gives her a helping hand: her husband has died.
To earn her living she weeds the potato fields as there is no other work. She has taken Arman to the polyclinic in Vardenis for a checkup.
125 disabled children are registered at the polyclinic in Vardenis, and the total number of the children registered at this polyclinic makes up 4800.
In Vardenis many parents cannot take care of their children’s needs and treatment in an appropriate manner, as they are jobless and they hope for free medical assistance from the polyclinic and “Astghavard” disabled children’s parents NGO.
“One cannot even imagine that people milk their cow, sell the milk but don’t give it to their sick children,” the pediatrician at Vardenis polyclinic said.
The socio-economic state of the families immediately affects on children as mothers in hungry and cold families are not able to grow healthy children. And as the pediatrician said, approximately 80% of Vardenis population lives under such hard circumstances as there is no way to earn one’s living.
The locals remember that in the past they produced table water, factories of cheese, bread and beer, but none of them works at present. “The houses have completely become empty: only 6 flats are inhabited in a block of 36-42 flats,” a local inhabitant described Vardenis in this way.
Together with poverty this cattle-breeding region has no sufficient pastures. “We can get neither butter nor sour cream from the milk, as the milk is not sufficient: we have neither fields nor pastures. As cows go to the pastures without milk, so they come back,” the locals say.
Hard climatic conditions also limit the agriculture: “winters in Vardenis last for 7 months, and the temperature in winter is minus 30 degrees Celsius,” they say.
The population relies upon Sotq gold deposit. Though at present the exploitation of the deposit has its negative consequences, the people ignore them to earn their living. Sotq deposit has great impact on the socio-economic life of the population in Vardenis.
“Those families where at least one person works at Sotq solve the problem of material security by 70%. I don’t go deep into any issue that ecological norms are violated, that radiation may occur. I can see that families are secured and that makes me happy,” the interviewee pediatrician said.
The President of “Astghavard” disabled children’s parents NGO Melanya Yepremyan added “When we hear that one of the children’s parents works at Sotq, we are happy that the financial state of the family has improved to some extent.”
“Astghavard” was founded in 2003 and unites 230 families with disabled children. The organization deals with educational, health, socio-economic issues of the children and their families, shows psychological help to the families with disabled children, and intercedes in regard to employment.
The organization has a reconstructive center where appropriately trained nurses have special lessons with the children, as very few can afford to take their children to the capital for treatment.
The town hall of Vardenis allotted “Astghavard” the building of Vardenis kindergarten where the children and the members of their families attend for dressmaking, carpet weaving, tapestry, knitted garments making courses and painting, English and computer courses. (See photos).
Melanya Yepremyan, the President of “Astghavard”, intends to apply to the administration of Sotq gold deposit asking to give their organization a helping hand and hoping that the Sotq gold deposit, being a town forming enterprise, will take social responsibility over the disabled children.
August 12, 2009