Lonely elderly people living in regions receive food parcels

70-year-old Olya Manukyan from Sevan has been living alone for 13 years after the death of her mother. Olya moved from the village of Lernanist in Hrazdan to Sevan and worked in the bookstore of the city.

Today, the wall of her living room is occupied by a bookcase, which is full of books, but she no longer has the desire to re-read the books and gladly donates them to anyone who wants them, which is often used by the young volunteers of the Armenian Red Cross Society.

• The girls took the books and said they would bring them back, I said: keep the books, then you will remember me. I give the books to anyone who wants them,- says Olya.

She has been enrolled in the Food Assistance Program of the Armenian Red Cross Society for about 3-4 years. The long cold season in Sevan forces residents to pay extra for heating their apartments, so food assistance for single elderly people is very useful.

• I am very grateful to the Red Cross for the assistance,- says Olya, whose pension is 42,000 AMD.

She assures that although she lives alone, she does not feel lonely thanks to her neighbors.

• I spend my time doing some work at home. I miss my job, if there was a job now, I would work. Although I have health problems, it's good when you leave home,- says Olya.

Within the framework of the "Winter Aid" project implemented with the support of the Swiss Red Cross, 490 single elderly people in Gegharkunik, Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Kotayk, Tavush, and Syunik receive food every month, hygiene items every quarter, and volunteers visit them every week and celebrate the holidays together.