Location
Sofievka, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine
Community Description
Sofievka is a town of approximately 10,000 in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Located on the vast Ukrainian steppe, Sofievka’s local economy is based mainly on the large industrial farms surrounding it.
The groundwater in the area is unsuitable for domestic use, so all running water is currently brought in through pipelines from neighboring regions. Water and sanitation have been a major problem for the town. For several years following Ukraine’s independence, Sofievka went without a running water supply and had to rely on large concrete basins refilled by trucks.
Sofievka School #1, the larger of the town’s two secondary schools, serves about 700 students from first to eleventh grades and employs 79 staff. The staff members are proud of the quality education they provide, despite having to deal with aging facilities and often less-than-ideal conditions.
The newest part of the school was built 38 years ago and is showing its age. Funding for facilities is usually barely enough to keep the lights on and the classrooms heated, so needed improvements to sanitary conditions have not taken place in a long time. This situation contributes to the spread of disease and affects the quality of education.
The school’s current toilet facilities are not adequate for the needs of the students. Only one indoor toilet each for boys and girls is available for approximately 400 middle and high school students. The primary toilet facilities are outdoor pit-style latrines in a small, crumbling building beside the school.
Both the indoor and outdoor toilets are situated a good distance away from classrooms in this fairly large school. A student must walk approximately 100 yards from classrooms to the entryway of the school to use the indoor toilet. The outdoor toilet is another 100 yards away on the side of the school. Because of the distance and unpleasant conditions of the outdoor toilets, there is often a long line at the indoor toilets between classes, especially during the freezing cold winter months.
Project Description
This project is to improve sanitary conditions for secondary school students by installing two indoor toilets near the classrooms for their use.
Two small rooms near the classrooms will be fitted with a water supply and sewage lines and turned into additional boys’ and girls’ bathrooms for student use.
Project funds will be used to purchase toilets, sinks with faucets, the necessary plastic piping and fittings, tiles for the walls, and materials for finishing the rooms, such as paint, cement, and caulk.
The school will contribute the labor for the project and cover the cost of any additional materials needed to finish the project.
Project Impact
400 middle and high school students will benefit from the new restroom facilities.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Alex McHardy
Comments
The new restrooms, are sanitary and accessible to students, and will finally enable the school to have adequate facilities. They will enable proper hygiene, and improve the health of the entire school population.
The use of the existing structure reduces this vital project to one that can be implemented immediately within the limited budget.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
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.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Alex of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or other projects in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.