This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Kelley Gallagher.
To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
The project was to provide running water throughout the school to serve 3 additional bathrooms and the kitchen.
Kelley reports:
The project was completed successfully and on time.
With the money from Water Charity, the school was able to refurbish three bathrooms in the school. In each bathroom there is now a working toilet and sink. This was achieved by adding in new fixtures (toilets and sinks), but also new pipes to connect the bathrooms to the water supply. Now these bathrooms, including those on the second floor of the building, have running water. In addition, there were enough funds to add new pipes and a sink to the kitchen, which means there is now also running water to that area.
Here is a breakdown of all the specific improvements:
- Bathroom #1 (located on 1st floor): 1 new toilet, new pipes
- Bathroom #2 (located on 2nd floor): 1 new toilet, 1 new sink, new pipes
- Bathroom #3 (located on 2nd floor): 1 new toilet, 1 new sink, new pipes
- Kitchen: 1 new sink, new pipes
- Additional Work: new pipes were added throughout the building to connect all these bathrooms and kitchen to the water supply. This includes a large pipe that now carries water to the second floor. (Before this project the pipe connecting the floors had been broken and there was no running water on the second floor.)
The teachers and principal of the school were overjoyed at the success of the project. Not having to carry heavy buckets of water up stairs and being able to more easily clean up messes and dispose of waste has made their work so much easier. They are so thankful for the support. It really has made a huge difference to the quality of the care for the children at the school.
Finally, I want to tell you that following this project, the counterpart I worked with, a young Georgian named Mari, went to the local government and asked if they would be willing to support additional water projects in the community. There is more that could be done in this school and there are other schools in Akhaltsikhe that are also in bad shape. I’m really excited to tell you that the government has agreed to help.
I believe the water projects that we have been able to complete in Akhaltsikhe through the Appropriate Projects initiative of Water Charity have helped inspire and motivate the community. So, thank you for helping jump-start what is, hopefully, a larger effort to improve sanitation in our schools.
I have to say that this project has been one of the most tangible and important things I’ve done in my community. It’s something that I know, with 100% certainty, made people’s lives better. Thank you so much for providing the kind of support that makes these things possible.
We are grateful to Kelley for completing this project, and again wish to thank her friends and family for their donations.
