J1133N Healthy Homes Armenia

The Situation

Italakan is a small community of 170 families living outside Spitak in temporary homes. Many families are struggling to provide for their basic needs with high un-employment and limited working opportunities alongside an historic corrupt local government. A lot of Fathers leave the country in search of work to send money home, which unfortunately leads to many broken marriages and families.

The temporary houses in Italakan have no gas and therefore rely on central burning stoves to cook and heat their homes. Many families will burn rubbish or discarded items to keep their homes warm during the winter months.

Historically Armenian society is very modest and family orientated which plays a factor in it being a very safe country with very little street crime. Italakan however is subject to greater levels of physical crime due to its geographical location on the edge of the city and its poor layout / lighting that lends itself to it being used for criminal activity.

The Objectives

1. To improve the education opportunities and health for 50 children living in Italakan over the next three years.
2. To improve the home life of families in the community in the next 5 years through marriage, employment and entrepreneurial training.
3. To improve the living conditions in Italakan over the next 7 years by assisting families to replace temporary homes and constructing a community centre.