About

In 1988, shortly before Ivan first felt the Lord’s call, there had just been a terrible earthquake in Armenia which caused mass devastation and in the 1990s, Armenia was blockaded from the outside world by its neighbouring enemy nations. The consequence of these two factors was a foundation of poverty and extreme need which left many families absolutely destitute. Following this very difficult period, the country as a whole began to improve and build its infrastructure, resulting in expensive malls, hotels and supermarkets and as we entered the 2010s, Armenia had changed significantly since its early days as an independent nation. However a huge percentage of families still remained in dire need.

Today the situation in Armenia is such, that while the capital, Yerevan, boasts a modern look much like many European cities, the inside picture is altogether different. There are many families tucked away just under the surface still living in dreadful poverty. They are struggling to put bread on the table, to afford what is necessary to send their children to school and to heat their homes, leave alone afford their medical bills. On top of this, everything changed dramatically for the worse in September, 2020 when the 44 day war started in the region of mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh. The result of that horrible war was several-fold. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives and many families were left bereaved and heart-broken. Many of those soldiers were eighteen to twenty year old conscripts. A whole generation was wiped out. There were many refugees, who had lost their homes and possessions in Nagorno-Karabakh, who suddenly flooded into Armenia – possessing nothing and desperately trying to find somewhere to live. The war between the Ukraine and Russia also meant many refugees flooded into Armenia, which was already struggling with an accommodation crisis, pushing up house rent prices and prices of everything in general.