Residents of Kond district are ashamed to welcome guests in their homes
For many years, the ten members of the family lived in an area of 21 square meters, which was deprived of the minimum living conditions. The family does not even have a kitchen; all dishes are kept outside the rundown house. Nor do they have a toilet. The family uses the public toilet of the district. The bathroom is a small area outside the house with dark and dilapidated walls where they can bathe only in summer months. In winter, the mother places a worn-out basin in the middle of the living room to bathe the children. The father of the family says they are living in the ‘primitive communal society.’ The family lived in Russia for many years and returned to Armenia at a time when many were leaving the country during the dark and cold times of the 1990s. “Two of my children have left the country because they could not put up with the housing conditions,” the father said trying to conceal his excitement. “Two of my children today live in a rented apartment.” The family members have got sick because of the high levels of humidity in the house. Murad Hovhannes Yesemyants, who is the author of 18 books, has worked in different places but no one has registered him as a legal worker. He sells his books in the city bookstores, but the income is negligible;the family cannot even afford the bare necessities with the money received from the sale of books. All his life, Murad dreamed of buying a house with his own money. “The houses in Kond are so small that people are ashamed to receive guests at their homes,” his wife added. Today Murad Hovhannes is thinking about leaving Armenia. “All my hopes have died, I do not believe that I shall ever have a flat of my own,” he said. “Our hearts are tormented. Let our officials come and live in this house with their families for one day and they will understand our grave situation,” added his wife.
