Destroy This Domik 1

Following the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, thousands of people were left homeless in the city of Gyumri. Many of these families took refuge in the overseas shipping containers (domiks) that were shipped into Armenia loaded with humanitarian relief supplies. Although more than a quarter century has passed since the earthquake, this depressive reality still remains. Currently, more than 2,300 dilapidated domiks are still scattered throughout Gyumri, about 500 of which are vacant. Many families who received homes through government aid did not demolish their old domiks.

Through our Purchase a Home project we have been working hard to find families new homes and demolish their old domiks in order to free Gyumri from these unsafe, unsanitary and depressing reminders of their difficult history. Recently, we have also teamed up with one of our partner organizations from Armenia, Shirak Centre NGO, to find sponsorship for this new and equally important project. Through this project we will work with Shirak Centre NGO to locate and identify the vacant domiks in Gyumri, purchase the domiks from their owners, demolish them and distribute the remaining scraps of wood to other families in need who are still living in domiks and condemned buildings. All remaining materials will be sold for scrap and those funds will be applied towards removing yet another domik. $1,000 is needed in order to complete this process per domik.

Our goal is to take as many domiks off of the market as possible. Demolishing these domiks has several benefits including raising the communities morale, returning land to its former use and providing firewood for fuel to impoverished families. Furthermore, this project has a significant environmental benefits; by using the scraps of wood from the domiks, less and less trees from nearby forests will need to be cut in order to serve this vital need.