The Rebuilt House Now has a Reinforced Underground Shelter
The Brutyans, living in the border village of Paravakar, have lived in a house threatening to collapse for many years. The inherited foundation of the house had weakened over the years. The leaking roof and the wooden floor were damaged and required an urgent renovation. For the owners of the house, who had survived a war here and without ever thinking of leaving the native village, it was also a matter of honor. The housing problem of this family got into the focus of Viva-MTS’ and Fuller Center for Housing Armenia’s attention, the two partner organizations implementing the housing project.
In the fall of last year, Manvel began the reconstruction works. Due to the extensive work carried out, issues requiring urgent solution have been resolved and conditions have been created for a decent living. The foundations of the house were fully reinforced, the roof and floor were replaced, cozy kitchen and utilities were added, and a reinforced underground shelter, a vital matter for villagers living on the borderland. The entrance to the shelter from the second floor is from the kids’ bedroom.
“Sometimes, when there were shootings, there was no place to hide. Moreover, we had to run away from the house that was on the verge of collapse. Now, the concrete works are done so well that we have a shelter. Even if the second floor is damaged, the basement will remain. The program is extremely important for the families with a housing problem,” said the homeowner, Manvel Brutyan.
Six people live in the rebuilt house. The large family has managed to spend the first winter in their new home and began to focus on other goals.
Owing to the support of Viva-MTS and Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, 5 families have been able to solve a housing problem in Paravakar last year.
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Viva-MTS (MTS Armenia CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator, having the widest network reach and spreading a wide range of Voice and Data services all across Armenia. Having the best of the Armenian people interest at heart since its launch on the 1st of July Y2005, and in a short period of time, Viva-MTS has managed to build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base. Viva-MTS drives innovation and aims at always being at the forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile communications market. The company follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility) and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 (Information Security Management System). For more information, visit www.mts.am
Mobile TeleSystems PJSC (“MTS”) is the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment services in one of the world’s fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group services over 86.8 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Armenia and Belarus. Since June Y2000, MTS’ Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group can be found at: www.mtsgsm.com
Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is a non-governmental, charitable organization that supports community development in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to a decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. FCHA provides long-term, interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a Revolving Fund, which is used to help more families, thereby providing a financial foundation for sustainable development. Since 2008 the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has assisted over 800 families. For more information, please visit www.fcharmenia.org or email us at fcarmenia@fcharmenia.org