Who says that only rich people can be philanthropists? Well, most people do. But a Hetq article (in Armenian) proves this “common knowledge” to be false.

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Ashot Grigoryan from Yerevan (Armenia's capital), 24, has been raised in orphanages and slept in streets for five years. For a while, he has joined the totalitarian Jehovah’s Witnesses sect, but later left the group.

How does Ashot help others if he has nothing? According to the interesting article, he collects food from various charity organizations and distributes to the homeless. He has also provided the cement for the reconstruction of the old St. John (Surb Hovhannes) cathedral of Yerevan by convincing a business to support the cause.

With his poor education, Ashot is also a talented poet. With my untalented skills of translation, here is one of his poems (from Armenian):

For me you are like lighthouse in the dark;
In my soul you are a warm Sun.
You are sweeter than the flavor of thousands of flowers.
Oh my kind friend, my love of life.

But actually you do not exist, my worthy and kind Mother.
You actually left me in the dark, making me homeless; making me bloody.

(excerpt from Ashot’s “To My Mother” poem)