The FCHA mission would not be possible without the support of those who share their time and their financial resources. It was back in 2007-2008 when a partnership started with Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator VivaCell-MTS. It was a new but promising partnership.
In 2007-2008 owing to the generous support of VivaCell-MTS 28 families were assisted through decent housing; families who had been living in metal containers, basements, dilapidated houses or other temporary shelters. In 2014 the partnership restarted, and 25 families from the borderland regions of Armenia were assisted in a year. 2015 was even more fruitful, the partnership gained momentum with the number of families to be supported reaching 40.
By the end of 2015 the total number of the families assisted will reach 93 – the lives of 93 families changed, the lives of almost 500 peopleimproved in all the communities of Armenia.
Now VivaCell-MTS is the largest partner of Fuller Center for Housing Armenia in terms of providing families with decent housing.
Yet the support of the VivaCell-MTS Family was not limited to finance- hundreds of volunteer staff members led by the General Manager of the company Ralph Yirikian regularly joined in the construction works, made their hands dirty with cement, worked shoulder to shoulder with and for those families and when leaving said ”օջախներդ շեն լինի” (may your home prosper!). This is the evidence of the highest sense of corporate social responsibility the company is guided by.
In Armenia over 64,000 families need improvement of housing conditions, 26,199 families are homeless (Social Reforms in Armenia; Hrayr Marukhian Foundation, 2011). And those families are determined to leave Armenia in search of a better life.
In 2015 a Survey was conducted by Fuller Center for Housing Armenia to evaluate the impacts of the partnership and none of the assisted families has left Armenia. This means the partnership has had its positive influence on decreasing emigration from Armenia. Along with the improvement of housing conditions the financial stability of the families has increased by 34%.
Before being included in the housing project none of the families had assessed their lives as ”better” in comparison with the other families in the society. Now 47% of the surveyed families consider that after being included in the project they live better than other families of the society. The 42%, who considered that their housing conditions were worse than the housing conditions of other families in the society now consider it ”good” or ”equal”.
”This year it is the 10th anniversary of VivaCell-MTS, our largest partner, a company where each employee is guided by the highest sense of corporate social responsibility. To honor the 10th anniversary of our largest partner our partnership flag was raised on the top of the biblical Mt. Ararat, 5165m high/16,945 feet. With much appreciation, we reflect on how much resources, time and efforts VivaCell-MTS has dedicated and continues to dedicate for more and more families to live decently,” shared Fuller Center for Housing Armenia President Ashot Yeghiazaryan.