The Harutyunyan family faced crushing poverty until they received a dairy cow through World Vision’s Gift Catalog. Now, the family has income and resources to provide for themselves and even help others.

December 2010

By Narek Kosyan, World Vision Armenia, and Peter Warski, World Vision U.S.

For a long time, the Harutyunyan children dreaded going to school. Their parents couldn’t afford to buy them school supplies or suitable clothing.

“Neither me, nor my brother, nor our sisters ever had normal shoes, normal clothing, normal writing materials, [or] normal textbooks to attend school,” says Arthur, 10, who has a twin brother in this family of six children in northeastern Armenia.

“Everything was a problem for us. Because of our shabby shoes and worn-out clothing, we were often so ashamed of our appearance.”

‘We could hardly get by’

But the family’s problems weren’t confined to clothing or school supplies. Haykavard, the children’s 36-year-old mother, explains that they depended on a monthly governmental allowance (about U.S. $160), as well as a small pension from her mother-in-law just to survive.

“Though my husband used to do some odd jobs, and we had a cow, we could hardly get by,” says Haykavard. “The dairy food received from our single cow was never enough for all of my six children. Often I had to escape the hungry glances of my elder daughters and twin sons when I had to feed my still-crawling Arsen with our scarce dairy food.”

To make matters worse, the family lives in an especially difficult part of Armenia. It’s a region that borders Azerbaijan, and though a ceasefire is in place between the two countries, occasional fighting in the area makes farming risky. Plus, the climate is harsh.

“Floods, hails, freezing [temperatures] and non-arable lands don’t allow us to meet our needs through cultivation or gardening,” says Levon, the children’s father.

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A reason for new hope

In 2009, the Harutyunyans and 10 other families in the region each received a dairy cow, made possible by gifts given through World Vision’s Gift Catalog in the United States. Such a development was enough to make this struggling family rejoice — especially when they learned that their new cow would give birth to a calf.

“Now that we already have two cows and a calf, each of us has enough dairy food,” says Arthur. “It is not like before, when often our mother had to feed only our youngest brother Arsen because we didn’t have enough milk.”

They also have a solution to their other big challenge. “This year, my parents have promised to sell the calf...in order to buy clothing, shoes, textbooks, and other necessary items for all of us,” says Tatul, Arthur’s twin brother. “Finally, we too can attend school normally, without shame and endless problems.”

‘We can breathe easier’

But the family hasn’t forgotten others in the region, just like them, who face many of the same struggles.

“Sometimes, we even manage to share some of our milk with the needy children of our neighbors,” says Levon. “Yes, don’t be surprised! How is that World Vision could assist us, and we can’t do the same [for] our neighbors?”

It’s a sentiment befitting the Christmas season from a family genuinely grateful for the help they’ve received through a simple but meaningful gift: “God bless — we can breathe easier for at least a year.”