Yerevan's 'Bird House' Orphans Left to Fate: No One Cares About Starving, Naked, or Sick Children

According to the 'Zhoghovurd' daily, the orphans at the 'Bird House' orphanage in Gyumri have been left to their fate. Whether the children are hungry or naked, sick or healthy, no one seems to care, not even Sonya Simonian, who has led the orphanage for 16 years, nor Shirak province governor Tigran Petrosyan and Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zurabhi Batoyan.

It should be noted that diaspora benefactors, led by Herman Hintiryan, who have financed the institution for 16 years, stopped providing funds as of June this year. However, the suspension of funding appears to have deeper reasons behind it. The newspaper has obtained exclusive details about the situation prevailing within the orphanage.

According to the information received, individual benefactors have received letters from the orphans stating that the administration has not provided them with anything, not even basic hygiene items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, or shampoo. Not to mention that the children haven't received fruits like kiwi, oranges, apples, chocolate, candies, or halva.

Moreover, the benefactors also brought canned boiled beef and condensed milk, which the children have not had access to. Instead, they are being fed meals consisting mainly of water and pasta without vegetables, or pilaf with semi-fermented cabbage.

During a visit to the orphanage, the newspaper witnessed an even more horrifying picture. When inspecting the orphanage's bathrooms and toilets, we found that there was no soap near the sinks. If there was any, it was old, discolored, and in pieces, even though the individual benefactors had sent liquid soap in liters. In the bathrooms, there were no shampoos or soaps, and the shower was broken.

During conversations, the girls at the orphanage revealed that the shower has been broken for a long time, and the administrator, who is the brother of the director, has not repaired it. The girls are forced to bathe using water flowing from the faucet while sitting partially, looking for alternative solutions in that moment.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.