Armenia, the smallest of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union, suffered a devastating earthquake in 1988. Many people started to use metal shipping containers (which had been used to bring supplies in to Armenia from abroad) as temporary homes. Families started to build permanent homes, but after the Soviet Union collapsed, they could no longer afford to continue building new homes due to the economic crisis that followed.  

The Fuller Center, a non profit organization based in Americus, GA, partners with qualifying families to help finance and build their new homes. This allows them to leave the unhealthy environment of the metal container and live in a cleaner home. Living in this situation helps the families to realize some stability, give their children healthy homes to live and study in, and improves the future prospects of the children.

Cynthia Reimers Erickson, of Roseville, MN, will speak about her experiences traveling to Armenia to build homes with the working poor there. She travels there annually with the Fuller Center for Housing and leads teams of volunteers who spend their vacations slinging buckets of concrete or wielding a paint brush while helping with some step in the construction of a family's home. Join us to learn about life along the backroads of Armenia.

Reimers Erickson is a native North Dakotan who has lived in the Twin Cities for over 30 years. Her ancestors hail from northern Germany and from Western Armenia (which no longer exists). She discovered a love for travel while in college and has backpacked in Europe, traveled within the Soviet Union, and more recently has made almost annual trips to current day Armenia to assist in building homes.