Horomsima Davtyan was born in 1929 in a family of a musician. She has born and raised in Ghukasyan village, attending the local school. Her father Stepan Davtyan was a musician and her mother was a housekeeper.

In 1944 after many years of living in the village, the family decided to move to Gyumri. Mrs. Horomsima began to work at Gyumri’s Textile factory. For about 5 months she was a trainee and then up to 1951 she worked there as a weaver.

In 1951 she got married and moved to Armavir village of Hoktemberyan region. However, the unsuccessful marriage made Mrs. Horomsima return to Gyumri after 2 years of her marriage with her 2 children. Horomsima had to send them to a kindergarten and began to work at her previous workplace: Gyumri’s Textile factory up to the disastrous earthquake of 1988. For good and long years of tenure Mrs. Horomsima was awarded and received the rank of veteran.

   – I have worked with honor, – told Mrs. Horomsima proudly.

After an earthquake she lived alone in a makeshift container. Her son and daughter got married but the next misfortune was not too far away. Horomsima’s son-in-law passed away who was married to her daughter for about 15 years, living in Moscow together all that time.

   – My daughter didn’t have an Armenian citizenship, and I had to apply to the court for rehabilitation of her rights of becoming an Armenian citizen, – told Mrs. Horomsima.

Horomsima’s daughter returned to Armenia and despite many difficulties, they succeed to restore her rights. They were provided an apartment at Yerevanyan highway, but at the apartments distribution process it turned out that their apartment had already been sold to another person.

   – Everything was ready, we should only move to our apartment, as received all suitable documents from the municipality, according to which the apartment was allocated to me,- told Mrs. Horomsima with indignation. – For almost a year after receiving the documents I was waiting for the end of the constructing works, however……

Horomsima decided to send an appeal to the Province Administration, but when Horomsima received the answer it turned out that the apartment did not belong to her.

   – I almost lost my consciousness in the office and the ambulance took me to the hospital.

A few days of staying in the hospital, Mrs. Hoiromsima’s nephew took the sick woman to his apartment as she had nowhere to go and decided to clarify what was going on. At last after knocking at many doors and overcoming many problems finally in 1994 they could receive an apartment where Mrs. Horomsima and her daughter live to present.

   -I paid all the utility pays, but no one knows how do I survive…- told Horomsima,- I have lived at the price of my life.

She lives with her daughter, and her daughter is sick, who underwent a number of operations and now she has the impairment of the second grade.

   – I receive pension, but it’s not enough for food, for medicine and for utility pays.

And one day Mrs. Horomsima’s neighbor told her about “Armenian Caritas,” so she applied and since then she is coming to “Day Care Center for the Elders.”

   -I am very grateful to “Armenian Caritas” for their help and support. I am here about 4 years and very grateful to them.

Prepared by: Stella Antonyan