
“Unless Lord Builds the House, its builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1)
Celebrating the joyous home blessing of the 108th house sponsored by His Holiness Karekin II’s “Building on Faith” work project, the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has successfully completed a grant that was established in 2006 with the Armenian Apostolic Church when FCHA staff worked with Habitat for Humanity. Advancing the mission to eliminate poverty housing in Armenia, this partnership initially aimed to assist 37 families symbolizing the 36 Dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church together with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. In 2007, the project expended to help 37 more families, and in 2009 a new agreement was signed to assist another 34 families. In total, 42 communities in Armenia have been impacted by his Holiness Karekin II’s “Building on Faith” program.
The 108th and final family to benefit from this six-year collaboration was the Haroutyunyan family from the village of Irind in the Aragatsotn region. The house is partially supported by KPMG Armenia. The family is made up of the father and mother, Tigran and Salvi, and their four young children. They used to live in the parental house for many years with the expended family of 11 people.
The local municipality gave them a partially buit structure, which was to become a boiler house. Even with this generous gift, they were unable to continue the construction of the house because of the meager income they received from the farming and the high cost of obtaining a loan from bank. Today, the Haroutyunyans are the proud owners of a beautiful house where their children can live and thrive.
The houses financially are sponsored by different Dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church from all over the world and other generous donors. Construction of these homes was also made possible with volunteer manpower from St. John Armenian Church (Greater Detroit, Michigan), St. Leon Armenian Church (Fair Lawn, New Jersey), St. Mesrob Armenian Church (Racine, Wisconsin), St Sahag Armenian Church (St. Paul, Minnesota), as well as churches in the Tavush region.
The beneficiaries of this grant have expressed their great joy of home ownership. They are grateful for safe, comfortable and secure homes that give their children a “sustainable future,” “peaceful, family atmosphere,” and “a place they can proudly call HOME.” The feedback from these families tells us that owning a home is a great source of happiness.
“This is the happiest day in my life, in the life of my family. We are so grateful to the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, to the people who came and built together with us. Let this happiness find others too,” said Tigran, the family father.
Each home, which is blessed by a local priest upon completion, has been built with great love and care by the families themselves and teams of international and local volunteers. Each beneficiary family has received a Holy Bible from the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia as a housewarming gift so the Word of the Lord is always heard in their homes.