Last year, we at FCHA, experienced excruciating pain — the loss of a long-time friend, a veteran volunteer team leader, an ambassador of our mission, and just a human being who dedicated her love, efforts, and willingness to support destitute families in Armenia over a decade. Her love, dedication, and energy to help others were contagious, and her constant support has transformed the lives of hundreds of families.
”Sona was a person whose kindness and love towards Armenia and Armenian people can’t be described through words. Her dedication and the way how she inspired others to join our mission were stupendous. She will always be alive in our hearts,” said Ashot Yeghiazaryan, FCHA President
Sona’s husband, Leo Manuelian, who together with Sona, dedicated his life to
FCHA mission of helping underprivileged families in dire need of decent housing, decided to honor her loving memory by giving a new and better life to families that have been deprived of living a deserving life for many years, asked people to donate to FCHA mission in lieu of flowers. Owing to generous donations from many people, two families will feel the jubilance of living a deserving life.
One of the families, the Aghamalyans, lives in a metal container. Valerik, the father of the family was born in Kirovabad; his father was a professional welding specialist, who was once invited to work in Spitak. During the 1988 earthquake, Valerik was 5 years old, and his twin brothers were 3 years old. They lived in Spitak, on the 5th floor of a five-story building. Fortunately, the family has not experienced a loss of a family member; however, their health was affected badly. As a result, his mother had to live with one kidney and his father suffered a spinal injury; his health never bounced back, and he passed away in 2002.
The only relative they had in Armenia was Valerik’s aunt who lived in Artashavan village of the Aragatsotn region, and they had to move to the village, settle in a metal container. Since then, they have lived there.
Valerik is a janitor at school, and his wife is a preschool teacher. The house will be built for the family from scratch, as they could not build even the foundation of the house due to health and financial problems.
Hopefully, by the end of the year, the family will live in a decent house with all necessities. We are sure that Sona is watching over us, and she will be happy to see more families’ life transformations.