27 years after a destructive earthquake rocked the Soviet Republic of Armenia (December 7, 1988) and claimed 25,000 lives, thousands of families still remain homeless and hopeless in what is now the second largest city of the independent Republic of Armenia.

Photojournalist Hayk Barseghian made stunning photographs about 13 poorest and homeless families in Gyumri, who might face the risk of perishing in subzero temperatures. Deeply moved by the desperation he witnessed, the photographer is now looking to raise £120,000 to buy 13 houses for those families.

You can help by contributing a small donation and you can help even more by spreading the word about this project. The purpose of this action is not only to help those 13 families, but also to raise awareness of the fact, that 4000 families are still in need of a house. 27 years ago Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev promised to fully reconstruct the broken town and this was followed by endless promises made by consecutive Armenian governments, who came up with various reconstruction campaigns. Unfortunately the lack of resources, poor management and widespread corruption left these people hopeless.

Now it is time for us, the global citizens, to take the matter in our hands. Act now!

The photographer Hayk Barseghian and a small group of friends are giving away his photos to you. Use them with your heart and spread the word! The Next Steps The donations will be used to purchase 13 houses and the resettlement of each family will be filmed and presented to you, so you can share their joy.

Detailed reports on all the expenses and scanned copies of all the invoices will be displayed on Hayk Barseghian’s photography page. This will demonstrate that the problem can be tackled and it will be a prime example of working transparently. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqHLGsiE9rE

The Next Steps

With the money raised we will purchase 13 houses and will film the resettlement of each family so you can share with their joy.

We will present detailed report on Hayk Barseghyan’s photography page (https://www.facebook.com/haykbarseghyan/) with scanned copies of documents to show how exactly the money is used.

In doing so, we will both demonstrate the problem can be tackled, as well as show a prime example of working transparently in a country where gross missuse of resources is one of the reasons while the problem persists in the first place.

Feel free to contact us at Email: haykgroup@gmail.com, sosgyumriteam@gmail.com, Phone: +374 98 470 408, Twitter: SOSGyumriteam

Our Web Site http://www.dayofshame.info/

Meanwhile, feel free to collect your photos below: