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Karegah – Kashatagh’s Biggest Village [June 18, 2007] The youth center in Karegah, a village in Kashatagh, plays the role of movie theater, theater, café and discotheque – to put it briefly, “…everything we need,” said the young people of the village. The center was established in 2003 on the initiative of the Monte Melkonyan charity organization and was named for Smbat Tatosyan. Tatosyan, a former head of the village administration and one of the founders of Karegah, was a freedom fighter in the Karabakh war. After surviving different battles from Getashen to Shushi and Kelbajar, he died in April 1998 through a cruel twist of fate. The village head was driving a truck to transport the goods of a family that had just moved to the village when the vehicle overturned. Since the moment it was established, the youth center has been run by Smbat Tatosyan's wife, Karegah village head Marine Petoyan. There are study groups for design, computers, art, photography, ceramics, dance, karate, ethics and esthetics at the center. There is a large movie library, with a lot of Armenian movies. Children and youth watch the movies and then hold discussions.
“Children from first grade up to young people of all ages frequent the center. There are as many people here as there are children at school – around 65,” said Ella Gevorgyan, assistant to the director, who used to take part in the activities herself. Ella told us that the center had substantially changed the life of the youth in the village and injected new enthusiasm. “Before the center was established, the youth here had nothing to do and nowhere to go,” said Ella, “The center is like a home to us. We come here and work on computers, watch movies, interact. We bring coffee and sweets sometimes, organize parties and dance.” One of the traditions of the center has been the establishment of Cleanup Saturdays. Young people tidy the territory of the center and take part in other such activities in the village. There are sometimes small events held in the center to mark national and religious holidays. The center's theatrical group participated in Nran Hatik (Pomegranate Seed) a festival for young theatrical groups held in Yerevan in 2004 and won a prize. The dance group participated in events held during the One Nation, One Culture festival held in Yerevan in August 2004. The photography group presented their images of Karegah and Kashatagh in an exhibition in Yerevan in 2006, and Armen Dallakyan's picture won third prize.
The village youth do not pay to be part of these groups. The establishment of the Smbat Tatosyan Youth Center was made possible through a donation from Tehran Armenian Edik Ermyan-Abrahamyan, dedicated to the memory of his father, Arshak Abrahamyan. His donation helped acquire the building and paid for renovation and refurbishment as well as for a Niva jeep for the center. The sum also helped finance the first year of activities at the center. Further activities have been financed by other benevolent organizations.
The village of Karegah is located four kilometers north of Berdzor (formerly Lachin), the regional center of Kashatagh. Resettlement in the village was begun immediately after the war, in 1994. With a population of approximately 250, it is one of the largest villages in Kashatagh and also among those which were resettled after the war. The residents came from different regions in Armenia, as well as from Getashen and Martakert, which had been occupied and emptied of Armenians. The territory of Karegah has historically been Armenian land. In 2002, while construction work for the village roads was underway, the remnants of medieval Armenian urns were discovered. Since 2002, a community development program has been underway in Karegah. This program, which includes socio-economic as well as spiritual and cultural spheres, has been the result of joint effort from the Monte Melkonyan fund, the village leadership as well as community members. Over the last four years, a variety of activities have been organized in the village within the frameworks of this program. The village school received much-needed textbooks, books and other items, 50 hectares of land belonging to the village were cultivated, cows and calves were provided to villagers on an “as is” basis and many jobs have been created.
One of the successful programs organized in Karegah by the Monte Melkonyan organization in the socio-economic sphere is the “as is” provision of cows. The organization provides applicants with cows and calves on the basis of a two-year agreement. This is not a donation. The villager keeps the animals and uses their dairy products. At the end of the contract period, the calf becomes the property of the villager, while he returns the cow and one or two calves born during that period. Thus, at the end of the two-year period, the villager has a mature cow, and the cow and calves provided to the organization are then given to someone else on the same basis. Thus the program ensures its sustainability. Since 2002, more than 30 families have been a part of this program in Karegah. “Our village is a real town , compared to the other villages in Kashatagh,” said Ella, “People aren't trying to go away from here. Our young people go and get an education and then return. They then work in the school or kindergarten, or find a job in Berdzor. Naturally, we have our problems too, just like all villages. One person need a house built, someone else's house might lack a roof. But our village is very united – if someone needs help, he can be sure that his neighbors will come to his aid.” Marine Petoyan has had a large role to play in the solidarity of the villagers and their dedication to the village. “Our village head is here, there and everywhere,” joked the villagers. This enthusiastic and cheerful woman truly works to solve a number of problems at once. She has a hand in organizing every aspect of life in the village. “Ten men cannot match the work of our Mayor Petoyan,” the villagers said proudly. Davit Karapetyan |
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