The Twenty Kilometer Equation

With no bus service in her rural district, an Armenian teacher is forced to hitchhike 20 km every day to school.

There is no public transportation in Mets Ayrum village in Armenia’s Lori region. The only way to travel to the nearest city is with a personal car or taxi, both of which are quite expensive. Aida Yerznkyan is a math teacher who lives in the city of Alaverdi and works in the secondary school in Mets Ayrum village. The lack of transport is a serious challenge for her, but she bravely undertakes the difficult journey, walking an average of 7 km every day during her 20 km commute to school. To travel the rest of the trip, she depends on hitchhiking and a bus. She leaves home every day, not knowing how she will get to work or what dangers she may encounter on the way.