The dream of each person to have a decent home is indissoluble. There comes a time in each person’s life when he/she understands the reason of coming to this world and his/her life-mission.
This year, the Fuller Center for Housing Armenian President, Ashot Yeghiazaryan, and Finance Manager, Margarita Ohanyan, celebrated their 15th Anniversary with the mission of working to help Armenian families in need of decent housing.
”The Fuller Center for Housing builds houses for low income families. But only walls and roofs are not built. We build more than houses.
With the inception of the organization of Habitat for Humanity Armenia in 2000, a team was formed, and through the dedicated work of that team the organization became one of the leading ones among the 18 countries of Europe/Central Asia in a short period of time.
Since 2008 the same team has continued the mission with Fuller Center for Housing Armenia.
Margarita and I were lucky to be the first ones to work with this mission in Armenia. Already 15 years have passed. These were 15 productive and meaningful years that passed instantly. These years were really the best ones of my life. Hundreds of families shared with us tears of happiness and the delight of home owning. I have seen how the newly built or renovated house becomes a magical foundation in the lives of families. We felt the happiness with each of them sharing their joy and excitement. Often, when hearing their heartfelt words, we wondered what was hidden in their souls; that was a scream, a complaint, a rebellion, which after the happy resolution was transformed into gratification and inner satisfaction.
We were lucky to speak from the heart and bring our dedication to the Armenian families through our work.
Millard Fuller’s housing program was genius. We only needed to localize it which I think we were able to do successfully.
Reflecting on the past and seeing more than 800 families having overcome the housing problem I realize that the 15 years, that seems to have passed like a second, were very meaningful and at the same time binding as much more still needs to be done. These families should hear a baby cry but that should not be due to severe cold or hot in the house or due to hunger.
In this way we worked with the families and with more new programs we got more new achievements. And there was not any program failed as we were all united ideologically and our work has already become our lifestyle.
Every single day I go to work with pleasure and in the evening come back home where my wife, my sons and my grandchildren are waiting for me. I think this is the mechanism of happiness,” shared Fuller Center for Housing Armenia President Ashot Yeghiazaryan.