Friday, September 10, 2010

Vanessa Kachadurian- Yerevan woman that adopts homeless children


I absolutely love this woman!!! Everyone try to help her as much as possible, where they live is not great conditions and Larissa tries very hard to get the children trained for a craft and educated. She is remarkable, I love her.

YEREVAN—Unlike the fairy tale about the old woman who lived in a shoe with so many children she didn’t know what to do, Larissa offers quite the contrary perspective.


Larissa discusses her role as a foster mom to 16 children in Yerevan while a son looks on. (Tom Vartabedian photo)
In her case, she’s picked up 16 children off the streets of Yerevan and given them a loving home.

It may not be the Ritz but it offers comfort and security. All have been adopted and regardless of her age (68), there’s always the urge to provide more.

What’s more, this is no fly-by-night operation or whimsy. She’s been a surrogate mom for 27 years and has no intentions of ever stopping.

“They are the children I never had and all are very near and dear to me,” she confessed. “Some of them came to me from birth. Others were a bit older. When I see a child who’s alone, I want to bring that youth home.”

Since 1983, Larissa (no last name given) has provided for 33 children. She’s touched the gamut in age from 10-38. At the moment, there are 10 inside her residence, including three grandchildren.

“They come from the streets of Yerevan and different orphanages,” she noted. “I live in a modest home. What little I have is passed on to others.”

I heard about Larissa from a couple different sources who make regular runs at the Artbridge Coffee Shop. People come here and exchange small talk. I was looking for “the ultimate story” and Larissa’s name came up.

“She’s the one who deserves some credit,” said Araz Artinian, a prize-winning videographer whose films “The Genocide in Me” and “Twenty Voices” have received universal acclaim.

“Larissa is one amazing woman,” added Artinian. “Everyone in Yerevan knows the good heart she has with children, but nobody else. She’s somewhat of a quiet heroine.”

We met at the Ani Hotel by Abovian Street and she was accompanied by a 12-year-old named Gourken. The child added further corroboration to the interview. He’s one of those who arrived very early in life.

Like Larissa, he has an aptitude for math and loves to draw.

“People think she’s my grandmother but that’s wrong,” said Gourken. “She’s my mother and will always be my mother, no matter how old she is. I don’t look at age. I look at love.”

Many children have a variety of issues, whether it’s poverty, illness, or abuse. Some of them are at wit’s end before they arrive at Larissa’s safe haven. Others came to her from the earthquake of 1988.

She adopted her fist child in 1982. A two-year-old arrived in 1984 and on and on it went. During the Soviet regime, she began receiving a subsidy from the government, which felt homeless children were better off inside a home than wandering the streets of Armenia.

Since independence in 1991, she’s gotten some assistance but more from concerned citizens around town. Once older, the children have provided a helping hand for their “brothers and sisters.” Also assisting her cause is Rev. Aram Stepanian of Whitinsville, Mass., whose congregation has made a habit of supporting indigent children in Armenia.

Larissa is hardly a nonentity, despite the absence of a surname. She’s attended two universities and holds degrees in physics and cinematography.

Her husband died at age 32 with a stomach disorder six months after their wedding, leaving her childless. She worked the factories of Russia for three years before returning to her native Yerevan and working 25 years inside the cinema studios for $10 a week.

“They were not easy years,” she admitted. “All along, I wanted to raise children of my own as a widow and decided the best way to fill that role was to reach out to the deprived. When I see a child who’s alone, I want to provide my home. I will care for the children of Armenia until the day I die.”

An outside group sat around the hotel bar enjoying a cocktail when Larissa turned to them and proudly proclaimed, “I have 16 children.”

They looked at the gray-haired woman in amazement and someone replied, “Sixteen children? You are a very rich person indeed.”

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