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