TCA Sustainable Assistance Program Continues to Help Berdzor Refugees in Armenia

The honey produced is marketed together with the honey from other produces in the same province under the name Mountain Miracle Honey (see https://www.facebook.com/mountainmiraclehoney). Mountain Miracle Honey was represented at the Armenia Expo 2021 trade forum this September.

Animal Husbandry

For the second stage of the program, the former principal of the Berdzor Tekeyan School, Anahit Kosakyan, prepared a list of the families connected with the school living in various villages of Vayots Dzor province who had the necessary desire, ability and environment to raise domesticated animals.

The Syunik Development organization visited these families and studied their surroundings, especially the available stables for animals. When it was clear that conditions were sufficient for keeping animals, they selected healthy ones with the aid of an veterinarian and delivered them to four families.

Hovhannes Avagyan, for example, lives in the village of Sers, with the other five members of his family. He promised that he could take care of two cows and signed a contract to provide, after two years pass, one calf to another displaced family from Artsakh. Meanwhile, his family would use the milk, butter and yogurt produced through these cows for its immediate needs.

Aragats, an alumnus of the Tekeyan School, lives with his five-person family in Herher village of Vayk. His family takes care of six pigs. The animals’ feed has been provided for the first four months, after which his family must provide it. Aragats’s father, Ararat Avagyan, said, “If necessary, perhaps I will slaughter them to use their meat, but I will never give up keeping pigs. I am in agreement that in one year I will willingly give two pigs to a needy Artsakh native. Let him also keep and increase the number of the pigs.”

Arevik Sargsyan worked as a cleaning woman in the Berdzor school, and recalls the annual visits of the Tekeyan Cultural Association representatives, with their financial aid. She was upset and exclaimed, “I lost my only son in last year’s war. I have no home. Now I have moved to Martiros village. At first I lived with my brother’s eight-person family. In the framework of the program, I received two cows. I am very happy and satisfied, but unfortunately my brother’s family is large. Even the space to sleep is scanty. It seems that soon I must go rent a home and live by myself. My brother helps. I will work to live.”

Lusine Chichakyan with her four-person family lives in Malishka village. She also has received two cows, has a stable and a small storage room for animal feed. She succeeded in obtaining hay in the summer for the animals’ winter provisions.

A fifth family was helped by donor Tony Halepli, through the Canadian Atken Armenian Foundation. It is a six-person family, with four minor children and mother Takuhi Stepanyan. The family, originally from the village of Van in Kashatagh, received six pigs and feed for four months.

The Tekeyan Cultural Association thanks all those who have supported the TCA Sustainable Assistance Program and encourages further support to these families who are victims of war and are attempting to create stable lives in Armenia instead of emigrating elsewhere. In the United States, please send your checks made out to the Tekeyan Cultural Association with the memo “Berdzor Project” to 755 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02472, or use our online link https://givebutter.com/NLWnPU. Donations are tax-deductible.