InternationalThe Fuller Center builds hope, one house at a time
Central Coast volunteer to lead poverty housing project in May
Published: Tuesday January 27, 2009
A team helps the Gasparyan family build their home.
"The Fuller Center is changing people's lives in a big way," says Patricia Zerounian, a Fuller Center and Habitat for Humanity volunteer and team leader who has already made two fact-finding trips to Armenia, in 2006 and 2007.
Millard and Linda Fuller, the founders of Habitat for Humanity, started the nonprofit Fuller Center for Housing, based in Americus, Georgia, in 2005. The couple decided to expand their mission of building homes internationally with no-interest loans after Habitat for Humanity changed its home-loan policy from no-interest loans to low-interest ones. The change in Habitat's structure was designed to generate revenues that would then be used to fuel further housing development throughout the world.
Leading the charge
The Fuller Center was established upon Millard Fuller's motto that "the world has the resources to give everybody a decent, safe, affordable place to live. We just need the will to do it," says James Favre, who, along with his wife, Margaret Favre, coordinates the Fuller Center's activities in Georgia.
The Fuller Center's model is grounded upon its mission to provide individuals with no-interest loans. Homeowners applying for loans qualify based on "sweat equity," which means they must be willing to construct or renovate their homes through their own hard work and ingenuity.
The homeowners and their friends and neighbors work year-round under the watchful eye of the site supervisor, putting off only the biggest projects until the arrival of the Fuller Center teams.
The system enables even the poorest families to provide a home for themselves by making monthly payments at no interest over an extended period. The repayments enter a revolving fund, which contributes to further building projects.
Daunting statistics
In Armenia, Yerevan may be emerging on the world scene as a first-class city, but Zerounian is quick to point out that the rural areas surrounding the burgeoning metropolis and even within walking distance of the trendy shops and tony restaurants there are homes and apartment buildings in an appalling state of disrepair. The contrast is stark. The need is tremendous. Many of the rural homes are uninhabitable, given their poor insulation, deteriorated foundations, asbestos-ridden walls, leaky roofs, and lack of sanitation or heating systems. Often multiple generations of a single family are huddled in half-finished homes or dank basements, and in some regions families temporarily live in school buildings or hospitals.
"The reality [of the needs] is overwhelming," says Mr. Favre of his trip to the Lori Region. "I'd never seen so many houses started and stopped... and the people don't have the resources to complete them. It still blows me away that there are still some people waiting to finish their homes after 20 years. When the Fuller Center comes in, it's like a miracle."
"People are still living in domiks," Zerounian says, voice cracking with emotion as she goes on to describe the community of a dozen domiks that she visited during her first trip to Armenia. She recalls the residents were crowding around the volunteers, each pleading their case, asking for assistance after years of being placed on government waiting lists. "On my first trip to Armenia, I went to the house blessing of a family of five that had been living in their domik for ten years," she continues. "They had children who had lived in this metal container their entire lives. It was the size of my bathroom and it was blazing hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. We moved this family to a beautiful, beautiful home."
A passion for rebuilding communities
Zerounian's involvement in building projects in Armenia began in 2006, when she joined Habitat for Humanity, wishing to make her vacation time productive. Her first-ever visit to Armenia came on the eve of the celebration of the nation's 16th year of independence and forever bonded her to her homeland.
"I now feel as though Armenia is a part of my soul," she says. "I've seen my grandmother's eyes in the faces of women in the rural areas. I've never walked down a street anywhere and felt like I totally belonged there until now."
This year, in her role as team leader, she will be taking a group of volunteers into the Lori Region from May 25 to June 8, when they will be working to build and renovate homes before heading to Yerevan for some rest and sightseeing.
As team leader, Zerounian's focus is to organize a group of passionate individuals. "I look for people who will work well with others, people who are flexible," she explains. "It's not so much a need to have someone with a background in construction. It's a matter of who is going to be flexible enough and understanding of other cultures." Then she adds: "I look for people who are pretty adventurous."
Those adventurous souls that embark on these trips represent a broad demographic, from college students to working professionals, retirees, and globe trekkers. The majority of those who make the journey are not of Armenian descent.
While Zerounian has the option of traveling to numerous locales in her work with Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center, the call of the homeland has brought her to Armenia at every opportunity.
"I have a personal interest in Armenia," she tells The Armenian Reporter in a phone interview. "Other people like to be all over the world. I like to see the changes that take place in Armenia."
She cites that her interest in Armenia and her desire to be of service was instilled in her by her father, who always encouraged her to share her blessings by helping others.
