Location
Khutsubani, Kobuleti, Adjara, Georgia
Community Description
Khutsubani is a village of approximately 1,050 families in the Kobuleti district of Adjara in west Georgia. This village is one of many villages in the area struggling to develop economically.
Most of Khutsubani’s families live in poverty, as many households rely on subsistence farming (citrus fruit is a primary crop in this village) and government pensions. Although some opportunities for employment in the villages exist, salaries are very low and a high unemployment rate remains.
The Khutsubani Public School is near the center of the village and is the central part of life for the children of Khutsubani, as few community resources are at their disposal.
The secondary school was built in 1916. In 1998, a fire severely damaged the main school building, destroying its interior. For seven years, the students in grades 5-11 were relocated.
In 2005, the Government of Adjara renovated the main school building, and the students returned in 2006. The renovation project provided a new interior to the main school, but the school’s exterior remained untouched. The old age of the school, fire damage, and lack of preservation to the school’s piping system after the fall of the Soviet Union caused excessive deterioration and malfunction of the water system.
The school has limited access to water, as the village schedule permits water flow to the school most days from approximately 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. A somewhat modern water cistern is located on school grounds next to a crumbling concrete block (for hand washing) with pipes and taps. However, only one of the three taps works, and all taps and pipes are currently broken and need to be replaced in order to provide and encourage student hand washing.
The school also lacks an adequate drinking fountain to provide access to drinkable water for students and teachers.
Project Description
This project is to bring water to the school and install fixtures for handwashing and drinking water.
This project will take place in the main schoolyard of Khutsubani Public School. There are three components:
- Replace pipes and faucets for the hand washing station and rebuild the cement structure.
- Replace a non-functioning drinking fountain with a modern working fountain for the children in the schoolyard.
- Purchase pipes and one sink with a tap to provide teachers with access to water in the teacher’s lounge.
Three of the school’s employees, including gym teacher Nodari Tkhilaishvili, will be in charge of soliciting help from a local plumber and will work together to replace the pipe system and to install the sink, taps, and drinking fountain.
The community partner leading this project, Assistant Director Madona Goliadze, who is also Head of the English Department, will specifically assist in purchasing materials and logistics. Other teachers in the school are also committed to helping achieve the project’s goals.
Water Charity funds will be used to purchase the pipe, fittings, and fixtures. A small portion will go towards the labor costs of a plumber.
The community at Khutsubani Public School is contributing half of the manual labor to the project. Co-partners at school assisted in attaining the prices for all materials and will be partially responsible for the purchasing of materials.
Project Impact
455 students, ages 5-18, and 50 teachers at the school will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Alissa Harvey
Comments
This project will bring modern water/sanitation standards to the school, thereby improving the health and well-being of students and faculty.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$70.00
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
$485.00
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.