Location
Kotovsk, Odeska Oblast, Ukraine
Community Description
Kotovsk is a town of 40,000 people in the Odeska Oblast in southwest Ukraine.
Kotovsk also serves as a Rayon Center for 61 villages and 28,000 people. Once a flourishing city of factories and a large military unit, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Kotovsk and its population have faced difficult economic times.
The State Lyceum is an agricultural vocational school located in the city of Kotovsk. The Lyceum provides students in the city and surrounding villages of the Rayon with the opportunity to develop the skills they need to become working professionals. Besides degrees in agriculture and maintenance, students may also graduate from the Lyceum with degrees to be qualified chefs, drivers, electricians, and plumbers.
Most of the students who attend the Lyceum have struggled academically and come from troubled homes and thus cannot attend the University. Of the 480 students, 240 come from the Rayon’s villages, 84 are orphans, 50 come from one-parent households, and 48 from low-income families.
The Lyceum was built in 1956 and has not been renovated since. The school lacks finances and because of the low income of most of the families, it is difficult to raise a large sum of money to improve the facilities.
The Lyceum currently has 3 outhouses (one for men and one for women) with holes in the floor serving as toilets, and no hand washing station. Besides being unsanitary, the men’s outhouse has no separators and the students must urinate and defecate in front of each other, which is extremely humiliating.
In the winter, using the bathroom becomes an ordeal. There are so many students and staff, during breaks they must wait in long lines outside, in below freezing temperatures.
Project Description
This project is to convert an existing custodian utilities room into two bathroom stalls and hand washing stations inside the Lyceum for the use of students, teachers and staff.
Project funds will be used to purchase two toilets, two sinks, faucets, plastic plumbing pipes, doors, cement and tile.
The Lyceum’s agricultural department will raise any additional money needed to complete the project by selling crops from their field.
The staff is very enthusiastic about this project and has already completed the preparation work needed for the installation. Teachers and staff specialized in plumbing and electrical work have volunteered their time and labor to complete the project.
Project Impact
This project will benefit 597 people, including 480 students and 117 faculty and staff.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Diana Duarte
Comments
This project is being done economically using existing space. It will improve the health and wellbeing of the students and staff at the Lyceum.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$555.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative, together with friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Diana Duarte.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Diana of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Diana 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.