Location
Melitopol, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine
Community Description
Melitopol is a city of 160,000 people, the second largest city in the Zaporizhia Oblast, located in southeastern Ukraine.
The city was founded in 1784 by a decree of Empress Catherine II. As part of the Soviet Union, the city quickly became a major center of trade revolving around the engineering and cast iron industries. The city is also a major train transit center to Crimea.
Since the fall of the USSR, the city’s previously-thriving industry has declined. Government funding for different local infrastructure, maintenance and rebuilding projects has fallen. Consequently, many buildings are in a state of disrepair or are in the processes of decay. One of the biggest challenges facing the city has to do with the poor state of the water supply and sanitation systems.
School #5 is located in the center of the city near the central square. The school, with 550 students from 5th to 11th grade, has produced some of the best and brightest students in the city. There are 49 teachers, as well as many parents involved in various aspects of the school’s administration and activities.
The school was constructed in 1957 and has had minimal remodeling done since that time. One of the difficulties that the school is facing is that it has 3 broken toilets and one broken sink in its only bathroom, used by all the boys and girls.
All of the toilets are in poor condition, leaking and not flushing properly. This causes excess water to spill onto the floor, a long queue for the bathrooms, and poor sanitation. Parents have complained about the poor sanitary conditions of the bathroom and are concerned about their children getting sick.
Project Description
This project is to renovate the bathroom of School #5. Three new sitting toilets, three new tanks, one new pipe and one new sink will be installed.
The charitable foundation Ridne Misto Melitopol will lead the project. Ridne Misto will provide volunteers with plumbing experience (as they did on two former projects) from their organization, and the local administration will provide a water expert. The Melitopol City Council will be responsible for the maintenance of the new bathroom facilities and ensure the sustainability of the project.
Water Charity funds will be used to purchase the fixtures, piping, fittings, and other materials.
Parents of the schoolchildren will also contribute about $50-$100 for the project.
The first stage involves the plumbers removing the old broken toilet structures and the broken sink. The second stage will involve fixing the leaking pipe by replacing the broken part of the pipe structure in the bathroom. The third stage will be the installation of the three new sitting toilets, three new tanks, and a new sink by the plumbing volunteers.
Project Impact
614 people will benefit from the project, including 550 students, 49 teachers, and 15 other personnel.
An additional benefit will accrue to members of the community who regularly attend community meetings, teacher-parent conferences, and social activities.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Cynden Amrose
Comments
This is an important project for the health and wellbeing of the students, staff, and community members. It is modest in scope and well planned. It incorporates a large amount of local support, ensuring its sustainability.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$0.00
ADOPT THIS PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT NEEDED BELOW
Donations of any amount will be appreciated. The full amount will give you “naming rights”, if that is something you would like.
Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of the Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.
Dollar Amount Needed
$555.00
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.