Armenian girl recovers from domestic abuse and poverty
“My father used to drink a lot. He would come home late at night, wake everyone up and shout at us. Sometimes he would throw us out of the house and would not let us in until morning,” remembers Siranuysh, 13. As she talks about her father, her otherwise rosy cheeks become dark, and her smile is overcome with a somber expression.“I was so afraid to sleep at night. Even if he did not come, it seemed like he was there anyway, shouting and beating my mom,” says Siranuysh.
To make matters worse, Siranuysh’s father, Hovsep spent all his money on alcohol, leaving his family without any financial support. The family’s dire circumstances led Siranuysh’s mother, Anahit to enroll her children at the Sisian Boarding School.
I didn’t want to see my children starve and I could not let them witness the violence in our home anymore
“I didn’t want to see my children starve and I could not let them witness the violence in our home anymore,” says Anahit.
Anahit was afraid to bring her children home from the boarding school, even on the weekends. “Only when Hovsep was out would I dare to bring the children back home. I was afraid that they would have to face their drunken father once again,” she recalls.
In 2004, Hovsep died of liver cirrhosis. By that time, Siranuysh’s older siblings, Mariam and Razmik, had already graduated from Sisian Boarding School and Mariam had married. However, her younger siblings, Karo and Ruzanna, still lived at the boarding school.
“If I took them home, I could not afford to provide them with food and clothing, and I could not buy stationery for Siranuysh to go to regular school,” says Anahit.
“I dreamed of going back home and attending the regular school there,” remembers Siranuysh.
I dreamed of going back home and attending the regular school there
Fortunately, World Vision Armenia was able to provide Siranuysh the support she needed thanks to the Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances (CEDC) Programme. World Vision provided Siranuysh with the necessary stationery and proper clothing to attend school, and helped her mother find a job at Sisian Bath House, established by World Vision Armenia.
“World Vision staff worked with the principals of the Boarding School and School # 5 in Sisian to smooth Siranuysh’s transition and assist her assimilation with other classmates,” says Emma Kajoyan, Sisian Area Development Programme Manager, World Vision Armenia.
“It was the happiest day of my life. My mom entered the classroom at the boarding school and told me to come out. She then took me to the World Vision Child Centre, where I was given a lot of new things to help me in my transition. I put on my new clothes, took my new bag and was already on my way to regular school,” remembers Siranuysh. “It seemed like my whole life changed in one day.”
Soon the specialists working at World Vision Armenia Child Centre discovered that Siranuysh suffered from phobias, such as the fear of darkness. At night when she was sleeping, Siranuysh would cry her mother’s name and ask for help.
For two years Siranuysh was counseled by a psychologist and art therapist at Sisian Child Centre. During that time she also participated in public events and attended Christian Summer Camp in Jermuk, a mountainous resort approximately 160 km southeast of Armenia’s capital Yerevan.
In addition, World Vision has supported the family by providing food and fuel in the winter, as well as warm clothing for the children.
To make matters worse, Siranuysh’s father, Hovsep spent all his money on alcohol, leaving his family without any financial support. The family’s dire circumstances led Siranuysh’s mother, Anahit to enroll her children at the Sisian Boarding School.
I didn’t want to see my children starve and I could not let them witness the violence in our home anymore
“I didn’t want to see my children starve and I could not let them witness the violence in our home anymore,” says Anahit.
Anahit was afraid to bring her children home from the boarding school, even on the weekends. “Only when Hovsep was out would I dare to bring the children back home. I was afraid that they would have to face their drunken father once again,” she recalls.
In 2004, Hovsep died of liver cirrhosis. By that time, Siranuysh’s older siblings, Mariam and Razmik, had already graduated from Sisian Boarding School and Mariam had married. However, her younger siblings, Karo and Ruzanna, still lived at the boarding school.
“If I took them home, I could not afford to provide them with food and clothing, and I could not buy stationery for Siranuysh to go to regular school,” says Anahit.
“I dreamed of going back home and attending the regular school there,” remembers Siranuysh.
I dreamed of going back home and attending the regular school there
Fortunately, World Vision Armenia was able to provide Siranuysh the support she needed thanks to the Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances (CEDC) Programme. World Vision provided Siranuysh with the necessary stationery and proper clothing to attend school, and helped her mother find a job at Sisian Bath House, established by World Vision Armenia.
“World Vision staff worked with the principals of the Boarding School and School # 5 in Sisian to smooth Siranuysh’s transition and assist her assimilation with other classmates,” says Emma Kajoyan, Sisian Area Development Programme Manager, World Vision Armenia.
“It was the happiest day of my life. My mom entered the classroom at the boarding school and told me to come out. She then took me to the World Vision Child Centre, where I was given a lot of new things to help me in my transition. I put on my new clothes, took my new bag and was already on my way to regular school,” remembers Siranuysh. “It seemed like my whole life changed in one day.”
Soon the specialists working at World Vision Armenia Child Centre discovered that Siranuysh suffered from phobias, such as the fear of darkness. At night when she was sleeping, Siranuysh would cry her mother’s name and ask for help.
For two years Siranuysh was counseled by a psychologist and art therapist at Sisian Child Centre. During that time she also participated in public events and attended Christian Summer Camp in Jermuk, a mountainous resort approximately 160 km southeast of Armenia’s capital Yerevan.
In addition, World Vision has supported the family by providing food and fuel in the winter, as well as warm clothing for the children.
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