Villagers buy food on credit
"Villagers have no money to buy food and take everything on credit. We have a huge list of debtors," says saleswoman Alvard Khachatryan, a resident of Aghitu village in Sisian Marz.
There are three trade stands in the village and they all sell goods on credit.
"Villagers have no incolme. They can hardly meet their abject necessities.There are families who have 5-6 children. They come and beg food for their children. It is impossible to deny such people, but we cannot collect the debts," says Mrs. Alvard.
With the support of IFAD Organisation, gas reached Aghitu from the neighboring village Noravan in 2009. However, none of the 230 households has gas today. Only four families have applied for gasification.
"Though our villagers are eager to heat their houses, they cannot afford gas prices," says the secretary of the village administration Lusine Harutyunyan.
The village was once populated with Azerbaijanis. There is a unique memorial -a vault of the 7th century in the village. The bás-reliefs are reminiscent of the sculptures in Gregory the Illuminator Church in Sisian and Zvartnots.
The village youth is employed in the construction of Sisian-Aghitu roadway since the summer with an avarage salary of AMD 100 000. The construction is realised by the financial support of the Armenian government and the World Bank
Totally, AMD 570 have been earmark for the construction.
People hope that the road will breathe new life into their village.
