On 7 December 1988, a massive earthquake hit Armenia. More than 25 thousand people died, 58 settlements were destroyed, 514,000 people remained homeless. Many homes in the village of Ashotsk which today has a population of 3,000, also collapsed. Wooden houses with four apartments were built as a temporary solution for families in need.

The Armenian leadership promised them safe stone houses within a short time. This has not happened during the last 34 years. In the settlement also known as Armenian Siberia the climate is not conducive to wooden buildings. Extreme weather destroys the houses. The families living there cannot afford to buy a new home.

Every year, politicians make promises, but no real change is made to the collapsing settlement.

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In Kochor, as the settlement of wooden houses is known locally, 176 families were provided with temporary accommodation. There are currently 164 apartments, 12 families have already moved. Most of them have gone to Russia after their family members living there.

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Some of the abandoned homes have become completely uninhabitable over the years. The long, cold winters eat away at wooden buildings.

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One room in Ripsik Bogosyan's apartment is no longer habitable. In 2002, she received financial support to repair the leaking roof, and two years ago for the ceiling. The latter sum was so small that she was unable to start the renovation. She spent the money on firewood.

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The 3-4-bedroom apartments have an iron stove that can be heated with low calorific value dried cow dung. Although gas is piped into homes, the price of gas only allows it to be used for cooking and heating water.

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Rita Avetisyan with her beloved plants She lives with her son, daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and mother-in-law, who also lost her home in the earthquake. At their own expense, they managed to repair the flooring of their home, which had deteriorated over the years.

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Lena Yengibaryan, who stands with her granddaughter, lives in 120 square meters with her husband. They are both retired, rely on a pension of $76. The exterior of their home was so damaged that rainwater seeped in. Her husband had fixed aluminium cladding to the walls.

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One of the few signs of life in Kochor in winter are the clothes drying on the line.

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Lena Yengibaryan's youngest son, Volodya, died in the Karabakh II war. His parents remember his memory with photos of him, his uniform. After his death, his widow and son moved out of Lena's home because she could not support her parents-in-law on the widow's pension.

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Rita Avetisyan is on her way home from milking. In Kochor, as in Armenian villages in general, families supplement their monthly incomes with livestock farming. Animal breeding is becoming increasingly difficult as drought makes feed more expensive.

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Hermine Margaryan lives with her family in a flat whose owner has moved to Russia. They cannot pay rent, but in exchange for accommodation they provide food for the owner when visits home. There is still hope in Hermine that the state will soon build the promised houses.