The government is working towards elimination of poverty, also striving to reduce the number of children in the orphanages through promoting the institute of guardian families, a member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia said.

As Karine Achemyan told a news conference in Yerevan, the families taking care of orphanage children are being sponsored as part of government’s outreach policy.

However, as Heritage opposition party member Anahit Bakhshyan noted, the number of guardian families has remained the same (22) throughout years as proved by 2008-2012 state budgets. “Armenia’s legislative field is not promoting the increase in the number of guardian families,” she stressed.