Location
Chok-Tal Village, Issyk-Kul Oblast, Kyrgyzstan
Community Description
Chok-Tal is located in the Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan on the northern coast of Lake Issyk-Kul. There are approximately 2,000 people who live there.
The main sources of income in Chok-Tal are agriculture and tourism. A large percentage of residents only hold jobs in the summer months when tourists come to beautiful Lake Issyk-Kul. This seasonal salary is supplemented with selling crops from family gardens in summer and fall.
Those who are employed year-round work in the shops, the local government, service garage, or at the school. Some people commute to a larger town 30 minutes away.
Tumenbaev Secondary School is the only school in Chok-Tal Village. There are approximately 300 students in attendance from grades 1 to 11. The teaching and support staff consists of 35 people. Many of the teachers in Chok-Tal are the sole providers of their families during the winter months, making an average monthly income of $60.00.
Grades 5-11 attend school from eight in the morning until one in the afternoon and grades 1-4 attend from 1:30 PM to approximately 5:00 PM. The majority of the teaching and support staff work both the morning and afternoon sessions.
Tumenbaev School was built in 2008. It is a very modern building with bright classrooms that are warm in the winter. However, there is no indoor plumbing or running water in the school or on school grounds. Students use buckets to haul water from the nearest water pump when water is needed indoors.
Behind the school there is one latrine-style toilet building with four holes for boys and four holes for girls. Teachers, staff, and students currently use the same building.
Project Description
This project is to construct a new toilet building on school grounds to be used by the teachers and staff of Tumenbaev School.
The toilet structure will be made of durable cement bricks with a concrete floor, making the building conducive to cleaning and disinfecting. Metal supports will be installed within the floor slab to ensure stability and longevity. The roof will be constructed of metal. There will be two separate areas designated for men and for women and they will be divided by a brick wall for privacy.
The toilets will be located a safe distance from any of the local pumps or water sources. It is also over 200 meters from Lake Issyk-Kul, a UNICEF World Heritage Site, so there will be no direct damage to this beautiful lake or the village’s drinking water.
There are existing pits dug for the purpose of a teacher’s toilet. They are located next to the current students’ structure.
Water Charity funds will be used to purchase the materials for the latrine, including bricks, cement, doors, support beams, roofing, tubing and hardware.
The teachers and community will pay for and arrange the transport of materials from the nearest city, which is 45 minutes away.
A construction worker from the village and the director of the school will oversee the project to ensure proper and timely completion, projected at 7 to 10 days. Additional labor will be provided by local men in the village without charge.
Project Impact
35 teachers and staff at Tumenbaev School will directly benefit from this project. 300 students will indirectly benefit from a reduced usage of the existing latrines.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Emma Distel
Comments
Toilets designated for the use of teachers will improve their comfort and wellbeing, an important benefit for the retention of competent staff. It will also help to decrease the spread of germs and infections throughout the school by segregating the sanitary facilities for teachers from those of the student population.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$555.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Emma Distel.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Emma of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Emma and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.