HARVESTING – UNDER THE GUN

Community Berdavan has 860 households and 3,600 residents. With its size and the number of population it is the second village in Noyemberyan after Koghb. In the high school of the village there are 348 students, and in the kindergarten – 120 children. The village is gasified and electrified, and 3 years ago, was finally resolved the issue of drinking water.

Head of the community Ararat Gabrielyan said that all the villagers have still fresh memories of the recent shelling of Berdavan 1,5 month ago, resulting in 2 dead, several wounded, dozens of children were in serious mental condition. However, the village high school, the music school, the kindergarten operate normally, people harvest the grapes, oblivious to the danger.

– I wish to express gratitude on behalf of the community and myself, to the command of the military unit, under the initiative and forces of which kindergarten’s hideout was built. The basement of the school, we have altered to a hideout, provided with electricity, a system of air purification, resolved the issue of water. The government has eased the solicitudes of the population of frontier settlements. Our village is exempt from land tax, small business – too. From this year for students in public universities discounts on tuition fees will apply, we have 107 students. Yes, the budget of the village, the peasant is increased, but such steps of the state have an even greater moral and psychological significance. However Berdavan still has many unresolved issues: water for irrigation, rural roads.

S.HARUTYUNYAN
Photos by author