SPFA (Protestant Solidarity France Armenia) started its activities in Armenia in Gumri in 1990. In 2004, the association turned its activities towards the High Karabakh. This self-governing province of Azerbaijan (populated with Armenians) proclaimed its independence in 1991. A three-year war followed, causing numerous casualties and destruction. The Karabakh recovered bit by bit from this war. Rosane, a young woman from the SPFA Yerevan team, went to Stepanakert (the capital town) to found a new office.

          With Rosane and Jacques Matossian

She started by developing French-speaking activities. She created in particular a library where young children of the area can come to read books in French and have fun. We participated with lots of pleasure in the workshop activities that take place every day of the week after school. We met children who were happy to be there and ready to discover everything that was on offer.


The adventure in Khatchen started as soon as 2004 with a beautiful objective: help the village to take off and allow its 372 inhabitants to stay on their lands. Khatchen is part of the main villages drawn to the attention of NGOs by the authorities of the High Karabakh. Located about twenty kilometres from Stepanakert and easily accessible by car, this village meets all the optimal follow-up conditions. So Rosane can go there once or twice a week. She told us she knows every inhabitant’s name! For a year now, SPFA has achieved all of its projects in Khatchen, and continues to do so.

          Rosane and an inhabitant from Khatchen

It was 10am and we were on time to go and visit Khatchen. On our way there, we were able to enjoy the beauty of the Karabakh’s landscape.

          Khatchen

Upon arrival, we discovered the charm of this quiet little village. The car stopped in front of the town hall where Ernest Grigorian welcomed us. Mayor since 2004, he has been in collaboration with SPFA from the beginning of the project: sponsoring destitute families, renovation of the water network and the church, construction of the kindergarten, setting up of the micro credits, etc. The intervention of SPFA is total, and reflects well its philosophy of action: ‘we have to do everything or nothing’, Rosane told us. By fighting one by one all of the problems in a given village, SPFA gave itself the means to bring back good conditions of life to the inhabitants (sparing them tough departures to the capital town or abroad).

This philosophy is also applied by Jacques Matossian (responsible for the projects of SPFA) to the work he does. The church, which was used as a barn during the Soviet period, had a magic wand waved at it in 2006. Now, it cuts a fine figure with its stone vaults and its sculpted wood doors. The inhabitants show the importance of having rediscovered both a spiritual centre and a meeting place.

          The church of Khatchen

Jacques Matossian did not come for the church but to renovate the water network so that people could have running water 24 hours a day (which is rare in Armenia). Once the reservoir was installed, all the villagers were invited to dig the trench connecting their houses to the main network. This is another key point of the way SPFA intervenes: the beneficiaries of the projects have to participate in its making as far as they are able to.

Rosane likes the spirit of initiative of the inhabitants of Khatchen and their will to go forward together. Her slogan is: ‘we must listen to people, they know what they need’. To help SPFA organising and orientating its actions, the decisions are taken by a council that brings together the inhabitants, the elected representatives and the members of SPFA.

In 2004, SPFA started its action by looking to reduce poverty. A few families are sponsored directly by the association; some others are chosen to receive a cow, of which the first calf will be given to another family, and so on.

Soon after, the inhabitants asked the association to give them the means to create their income themselves. SPFA donated a harvester and a tractor to the village. The town hall rents them to the farmers. The latter, assured to have the right tools to harvest, do not hesitate to sow anymore. The town hall uses the money from the rent to help old people.

In 2008, to go further towards the creation of activity, SPFA set up a program of granting micro credits  (loans of small amounts of money attributed to people who cannot get regular bank loans). After having explained how that worked, the association studied the projects introduced by the people interested in it (purchase of cattle or seeds). Those accepted receive $1,000 to pay back over a period of three years interest-free. Groups of three to five united people are formed and the town hall is also a guarantor in case of a borrower’s default.
We met Arthur. Thanks to the micro credits he benefits from, he owns two cows and ten calves. He is happy to have both an income to support his family and a job he can put a lot into.

          Arthur

Allowing children to go to school and study in good conditions is another essential requirement for the support of families in the village and an investment of priority status for the future. We headed for the kindergarten.

The director showed us the brand new premises built last year by Jacques Matossian’s team. When we arrived, the children were in the middle of their lunch. They were enjoying the potatoes from the garden that the teaching team cultivates during its free time to improve everyday fare.

This is all thanks to SPFA and the government of Karabakh, which has financed half of the construction. The logic is the same for all the interventions concerning the public infrastructure. SPFA always tries to involve the authorities with the constructions. And it never starts building without the assurance that the authorities will take care of the running costs.

At the entry of the village is the school. To give it more income, SPFA donated ten beehives. Thanks to the sale of honey, the school opened a cafeteria where the students are welcomed everyday with free school meals. The generated income also contributes to renewing the equipment and textbooks. Today, 24 beehives produce 180 kilos of honey every year. The kilo being 2,500 drams, it represents 450,000 drams per year (about €1,000) – the capital investment is €100 per beehive. We tasted this delicious honey with the mayor on the occasion of a ‘small’ Armenian coffee.

Armed with this success, in 2008, the school opened a workshop to build its own beehives with the help of SPFA. Apiculture is now a subject taught during the handicrafts classes.

          (Photos: SPFA)

At the end of our visit, Rosane told us proudly that the number of students in the school went from 42 to 48 this year. This is a sign that the work of SPFA is bearing fruit! ‘As long as the children are here, the village cannot die’.

SPFA managed its projects in Khatchen by dint of perseverance and talks with the inhabitants. But it did so also to convince the financial donators to support them. Not being recognised by the State, the High Karabakh cannot count on any kind of subvention from the international community. SPFA turns towards private financing and thanks as such the foundation Suisse Armenianos.


The story does not end there. In Khnabad, it is only starting. This village of 1,000 inhabitants, at the border with Azerbaijan, suffered a lot from the war. A part of the school was destroyed during the bombings. The director, Zaven Beglarian, showed us the current projects with SPFA. The outside pond will be renovated in order to irrigate the fruit trees in the garden, the sale of which will generate income for the school. A donation of ten beehives is expected, as done in Khatchen. New bathrooms will also be built.

In 2008, SPFA had already done the renovation of the water network in the village. This year, SPFA is organising the sponsoring of three families, the purchase of sheep and cows for eleven families, and two micro credits for a common poultry farm. Numerous other projects await financing, like the renovation of the school roofing that shows serious signs of weakness.

The inhabitants we met gladly engaged in conversation with us and did not let us go without giving us a few sweets. After such a welcome, we can only wish them and SPFA as much success as in Khatchen!


How to help

Rosane gave us very concrete possibilities to support the action of SPFA in Karabakh:

  • Volunteer activity leaders for the holiday camps that take place every year for a week in July. French-speaking volunteers of SPFA will accompany them. It is a great occasion to discover the beauty of Karabakh!
  • Second-hand sleeping bags for the holiday camps.
  • Children’s books in order to renew the stock of the library in the centre of Stepanakert.
  • Financing for the projects in Khnabad.

Contacts

SPFA (Protestant Solidarity France Armenia) in France
1 rue Cabanis / 75014 Paris
E-mail : Paris@spfa-armenie.org
Website : www.spfa-armenie.org
Telephone : +33 1 47 35 30 23
Fax : +33 1 53 80 19 49

SPFA in Karabakh
5, rue Maschots / Stepanakert
E-mail : armrouz@yahoo.fr
Telephone : +374 97 26 77 67

Gabrielle
(Translation: Yolene Dabreteau)