A pair of socks, boots and plastic bags
Papik Javadyan, 7, is one of the most active and playful children of Norabak Village in Gegharkunik Region, Central-Eastern Armenia. Every winter morning he puts on the woollen socks that his mother has knitted and then his boots to go out to play with the boys.
“Papik, come back”, his mother calls out to him. Papik obediently, but reluctantly returns to his mother; he has forgotten to put on the plastic bags.Children from impoverished families in Armenia often have to cover their feet with plastic bags to prevent them from getting wet as they trudge through snow and ice during the harsh winter. While this practice generally helps to protect their feet from the wet outside, the plastic doesn’t allow the feet to breathe and contributes to other problems and infections.
In Norabak Village winters are harsh and long, so harsh and long that people prepare for them for the rest of the year. Preparations include storing food, drying and storing animal manure, covering windows and doors with polyethylene and thick fabric. Women of the village also take care of collecting a number of plastic bags.
“You never know how much it will snow and how long the winter will last. That’s why being fully prepared for the winter is crucial for us”, explains Larisa Javadyan, 31, Papik’s mother. Larisa has three children; Hrachya, 13, Papik and their younger sister Susanna, 6.
Every morning before going out to play the Javadyan children wait impatiently until their mother clothes them properly and only then let’s them out.
I need to cover their feet with these bags, because, if their feet get wet, I am sure they will catch a cold “I need to cover their feet with these bags, because, if their feet get wet, I am sure they will catch a cold”, says Larisa.
“The children do not like it when I urge to put them on, it is really inconvenient to walk and especially run with plastic bags around the feet, but I need to care for their warmth as well”, she continues.
“Children’s boots were old and worn out, so this summer I have bought two new pairs of boots for them. But it did not help. Those new boots were of bad quality, and the children started to complain that their feet were wet again”, remembers Larisa.
Buying new pairs of better quality and thus more expensive boots is simply out of Larisa’s financial reach. There are very limited employment opportunities in Norabak Village and the majority of the villagers do not derive income from stable jobs, including Papik\'s parents.
Larisa is unemployed. Papik’s father Sarukhan, 46, works as a shepherd during the summer but for the rest of the year he has no opportunity to generate an income.
“Sometimes it is fun with these bags, but I don’t like them. Mom won’t let me out without putting them on”, complains Papik.
The winter of 2009 has brought an exceptional amount of snow to the villages of Gegharkunik region. It has snowed so heavily, that the snow has blocked the road to a number of villages, including Norabak.
“The road to our village remained blocked for a week or so, until a huge tractor came and cleared the snow”, remembers Larisa. But the road remained open for only a couple of days, because the strong winds had again brought hills of snow.
“I love it when it snows a lot; sometimes the snow is half my height. And it is fun playing with other children”, says Susanna.
“Several years ago almost all the village was using plastic bags for their feet; things are changing for the better now, but still sometimes you cannot do without this old habit”, says Larisa.
“It is indeed a common habit in the village according to Christina Kolayan, 28, a young mother from Norabak Village. “My mom used to cover my feet with those bags, and when my daughter goes out to play, I usually insist that she wears them”, says Christina, who is the librarian at the village school, which provides the family with very little and unstable income.
I hate it when mom puts on those bags, it’s awful. Anna Kolayan, 11, does not like it when her mom covers her feet with bags. “I hate it when mom puts on those bags, it’s awful”, says Anna.
But then Anna admits that it’s important for her feet. “I know they keep my feet dry, but still this is an awful thing to do”, she says.
But covering feet with plastic bags is not only uncomfortable and impractical for children – it’s an unhealthy practice, doctors suggest. Plastic bags do not allow the skin to breathe, “These conditions are ideal for a number of infections, including fungal diseases”, says Ruzanna Manukyan, paediatrician and World Vision Armenia Health Department Coordinator.
“While running (and playing) children’s feet get warmer and warmer, but as the polyethylene does not allow the air in, the feet sweat easily”, Ruzanna continues.
“The doctors say that these bags are not healthy, but I think, they are much healthier than the icy and wet feet of the children when they come back home”, says Larisa.
“You cannot let your children’s feet freeze. Some people put the plastic bags right on the skin, but this is not right, at least children should wear woollen socks, otherwise the plastic bag will suffocate their feet”.
Papik, his sister Susanna and their friend Anna are part of World Vision’s Child Sponsorship Programme. As part of the programme their family has received a cow that will provide them with fresh milk. They also receive different kinds of material support. During the Christmas and Easter celebrations, as well as on the eve of the school year, children also receive warm clothing and stationery from World Vision Armenia.
“Papik, come back”, his mother calls out to him. Papik obediently, but reluctantly returns to his mother; he has forgotten to put on the plastic bags.Children from impoverished families in Armenia often have to cover their feet with plastic bags to prevent them from getting wet as they trudge through snow and ice during the harsh winter. While this practice generally helps to protect their feet from the wet outside, the plastic doesn’t allow the feet to breathe and contributes to other problems and infections.
In Norabak Village winters are harsh and long, so harsh and long that people prepare for them for the rest of the year. Preparations include storing food, drying and storing animal manure, covering windows and doors with polyethylene and thick fabric. Women of the village also take care of collecting a number of plastic bags.
“You never know how much it will snow and how long the winter will last. That’s why being fully prepared for the winter is crucial for us”, explains Larisa Javadyan, 31, Papik’s mother. Larisa has three children; Hrachya, 13, Papik and their younger sister Susanna, 6.
Every morning before going out to play the Javadyan children wait impatiently until their mother clothes them properly and only then let’s them out.
I need to cover their feet with these bags, because, if their feet get wet, I am sure they will catch a cold “I need to cover their feet with these bags, because, if their feet get wet, I am sure they will catch a cold”, says Larisa.
“The children do not like it when I urge to put them on, it is really inconvenient to walk and especially run with plastic bags around the feet, but I need to care for their warmth as well”, she continues.
“Children’s boots were old and worn out, so this summer I have bought two new pairs of boots for them. But it did not help. Those new boots were of bad quality, and the children started to complain that their feet were wet again”, remembers Larisa.
Buying new pairs of better quality and thus more expensive boots is simply out of Larisa’s financial reach. There are very limited employment opportunities in Norabak Village and the majority of the villagers do not derive income from stable jobs, including Papik\'s parents.
Larisa is unemployed. Papik’s father Sarukhan, 46, works as a shepherd during the summer but for the rest of the year he has no opportunity to generate an income.
“Sometimes it is fun with these bags, but I don’t like them. Mom won’t let me out without putting them on”, complains Papik.
The winter of 2009 has brought an exceptional amount of snow to the villages of Gegharkunik region. It has snowed so heavily, that the snow has blocked the road to a number of villages, including Norabak.
“The road to our village remained blocked for a week or so, until a huge tractor came and cleared the snow”, remembers Larisa. But the road remained open for only a couple of days, because the strong winds had again brought hills of snow.
“I love it when it snows a lot; sometimes the snow is half my height. And it is fun playing with other children”, says Susanna.
“Several years ago almost all the village was using plastic bags for their feet; things are changing for the better now, but still sometimes you cannot do without this old habit”, says Larisa.
“It is indeed a common habit in the village according to Christina Kolayan, 28, a young mother from Norabak Village. “My mom used to cover my feet with those bags, and when my daughter goes out to play, I usually insist that she wears them”, says Christina, who is the librarian at the village school, which provides the family with very little and unstable income.
I hate it when mom puts on those bags, it’s awful. Anna Kolayan, 11, does not like it when her mom covers her feet with bags. “I hate it when mom puts on those bags, it’s awful”, says Anna.
But then Anna admits that it’s important for her feet. “I know they keep my feet dry, but still this is an awful thing to do”, she says.
But covering feet with plastic bags is not only uncomfortable and impractical for children – it’s an unhealthy practice, doctors suggest. Plastic bags do not allow the skin to breathe, “These conditions are ideal for a number of infections, including fungal diseases”, says Ruzanna Manukyan, paediatrician and World Vision Armenia Health Department Coordinator.
“While running (and playing) children’s feet get warmer and warmer, but as the polyethylene does not allow the air in, the feet sweat easily”, Ruzanna continues.
“The doctors say that these bags are not healthy, but I think, they are much healthier than the icy and wet feet of the children when they come back home”, says Larisa.
“You cannot let your children’s feet freeze. Some people put the plastic bags right on the skin, but this is not right, at least children should wear woollen socks, otherwise the plastic bag will suffocate their feet”.
Papik, his sister Susanna and their friend Anna are part of World Vision’s Child Sponsorship Programme. As part of the programme their family has received a cow that will provide them with fresh milk. They also receive different kinds of material support. During the Christmas and Easter celebrations, as well as on the eve of the school year, children also receive warm clothing and stationery from World Vision Armenia.
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