Investing in Children to Craft the Future of Armenia

By Heifer International

October 3, 2019

Last Updated: October 11, 2012

Karine Matevosova | Ecology Expert | Heifer Armenia
Translated by Emma Sargsyan| Media Coordinator | Heifer Armeni
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Debed village is located in Lori Region of Armenia, one of the most picturesque places in the country. The wonderful people in the region make the picture complete. While writing these lines I spontaneously remembered our guests from the United States on a study tour back in 2011. They were so impressed by the village and its people that they asked to stay overnight­?not at a hotel but in the homes of the villagers, to get to know them better.

One of the families hosting our guests was the Hovsepyans. Karina and Samvel Hovsepyan were young parents of seven kids–one girl and six boys, the youngest of which was 2 months old. The visitors were impressed with the family’s smart children. One of the sons, Gevorg, gave exhaustive answers to any question asked, and when one of the participants asked him whether or not he knew who the president of the United States was, the boy answered, “Sure. It is Barack Obama!”

Before becoming involved in the Heifer Armenia project, this family was desperately in need, which did not escape Heifer’s eye. Upon joining the project in 2009, the Hovsepyans received a pregnant heifer. In November they will take part in a Passing on the Gift® (POG) and pass on their calf to another needy family in the village. Taking into consideration the need and the size of the family, Heifer Armenia supported them once again as part of the beekeeping project in 2010. The POG was successfully accomplished in the spring of 2012.

The family has proven to be fully “Heiferized.” The elder children are active members of the local YES! Youth Club, supported by Heifer. Gor, the middle son, is still in school. He is a member of the agricultural direction, or area of interest, of the youth club. He received a calf as part of the project, which he cherishes. His younger brother–Gevorg, mentioned above–is a ninth-grader, and an active member of the ecology direction. He received 10 apple trees to plant and Californian worms for a vermiculture farm. Gevorg is very responsible with his work, and proof of this is the fact that, during regular monitoring, Heifer experts were very pleased with how he took care of the trees and his vermiculture farm. He has gathered an immense amount of information on how to feed and take care of Californian worms, trees and animals, and has become a real master of his work, helping his parents to take care of the animals and the garden.

Educating their children is the best investment a parent can make. The parents of Gevorg and Gor have that to be proud of and are thankful to Heifer Armenia for its support towards crafting a better future for them and their children.

 

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