THE COUNTRY IS POWERFUL ALSO WITH ITS LARGE AND STRONG FAMILIES

… 15 children, 10 daughters and 5 sons: this is how many children the youngest parents in our republic,  Martik and Angela, have. On the day of our visit, only one of the fifteen children was not home, for a very good reason. Daniel is a soldier. He currently serves on the frontline. We had met and talked to him at his unit, and now, I am with his large, warm family.

This year, on September 21, on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia, for their contribution to the upbringing and strengthening of the family, nurturing 15 children, ensuring their physical and moral development, the Melkonyans received from the president one of the highest awards of the Republic of Armenia, the Parental Glory Medal. On the same day, the family received the Prime Minister’s award of 1 million drams.

We are in Aygavan village of Ararat province. A lot of kids of all ages, and of course, the hosts, Martik and Angela greet us at home. Inside the house we are immediately surrounded by waves of childish joy. One, two, three, four, five, six … 14 different characters, all emphasized, intertwined, becoming a beautiful symphony of life, the loud and cheerful sounds of which are, of course, the screeching of the little ones. We have already caught everyone’s attention. They are all beautiful, polite, kind, and there are waves of happiness around them.

Knar Tadevosyan

Photo by ARSHAK KHACHATURYAN