Kyrgyzstan

Community Description
Barskoon is a village of roughly 7,300 residents living in approximately 2,000 family units located on the south shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. The main source of income of most families is from growing crops or raising livestock for sale or personal use.

Some families have additional income from the major employers in the village. These include Kindirbaev Secondary School, Kumtar Gold Mine, Barskoon’s Hospital, Bakyt Craft Factory, and shops located in the village.

Kindirbaev Secondary School is currently the only secondary school in Barskoon. Over 1,500 students from 1st through 11th grade study at this school. The school is staffed by 115 teachers and another 30 people who work as support staff.

Although the teachers’ toilets have for some time been unfit for use, the school has always made it their priority to replace and repair the facilities used by students first. In 2005 the school built a permanent outhouse structure for students, and in 2010 the school built a state-of-the-art outhouse for their handicapped students.

The facilities currently used daily by the staff were built using second-hand wood that is now falling apart and rotting. They are now unfit for use and extremely unsafe.

Project Description
This project is to create two toilets at Kindirbaev Secondary School for the use of teachers and support staff.

The new facilities will be built on school grounds more than 50 meters from the closest water source to ensure there is no negative impact on the water supply. The structure will be built out of concrete and bricks to ensure the facility will be safe to use over the years.

A professional construction worker completed the design and blueprint of the facility at no cost. He will be available to help oversee this project.

Completion of the project is scheduled to take 12 days. The activities will include preparing the location, digging the hole, installing support beams, laying concrete for the platform, laying the foundation, building the brick walls, placing the roof, and installing doors and windows.

All materials will be bought locally or in the city located 2 hours away as needed. All labor and transportation of materials will be supplied by teachers. They will also pay any expenses in excess of the budgeted amount

Materials to be purchased with project funds will include, sand, cement, brick, metal roof, door, iron support beams, wood and boards, windows, and nails.

Project Impact
145 teachers and support staff will benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Joanna Ison

Comments
This is an extremely important project that needs to be completed as quickly as possible. Having a clean, safe, and sturdy toilet for staff members to use while at work is an important sanitation issue.

Joanna previously successfully completed the Kindirbaev Secondary School Handwashing Station Project – Kyrgyzstan.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$0.00

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 Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.

Dollar Amount Needed
$555.00

Community Description
Barskoon is a village of roughly 7,300 residents living in approximately 2,000 family units located on the south shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. The main sources of income are from growing crops and raising and selling livestock. Some families do have additional income from the major employers in the village. These include Kindirbaev Secondary School, Kumtar Gold Mine, Barskoon’s Hospital, Bakyt Craft Factory, and shops located in the village.

Kindirbaev Secondary School is currently the only secondary school in Barskoon. Over 1,500 students from 1st through 11th grade study at this school. The school is staffed by 115 teachers and another 30 people who work as support staff.

Currently the students and staff who spend their days at Kindirbaev School do not have running water on the property. Lack of running water presents many challenges for the school, including inadequate water for drinking, cooking, cleaning classrooms, and cleaning dishes. Although this has been difficult, staff has made do by collecting water from the public water spout located about 120 meters from the school, which is a source of potable water.

In addition, it has been impossible for the students and staff to wash their hands throughout the school day. As most eat at the school cafeteria and use the restrooms at school, this presents a big hygiene problem for the students and staff.

Project Description
This project is to bring water onto school grounds from the public water source, and also build 4 handwashing stations, to be available for drinking and brushing teeth.

The handwashing stations will be located just outside the school’s main entrance, between the toilets and the door of the school, close to the cafeteria. The water will be gravity fed through an underground pipe from the closest public water spout.

The handwashing station itself will be made of piping and a concrete base. Water will drain to an open cement gutter that will connect to an existing public gutter off the school grounds.

All of the labor for this project will be done by Kindirbaev School staff and students without charge.

The process involves digging the ditch, purchasing and bringing materials from Karakol town to Barskoon village, installing the piping, mixing and laying the cement around the faucets, burying the piping, and finally installing the faucets.

Project funds will be used to purchase the materials, including plastic piping, connectors and corner pieces, faucets, insulation, rope, cement, fence, sand, gravel, wood, nails, and shovels.

Any budgetary shortfall will be borne by the teachers of the school.

Project Impact
This project will benefit 1,645 people, including 1,500 students, 115 teachers, and 30 support staff.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Joanna Ison

Comments
This is an extremely important water supply and hygiene project for Kindirbaev School and Barskoon village. It will have a high impact for the many people who are at the school each day.

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 Stanley Zylowski, of Alexandria, Virginia, USA, with help from friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Joanna Ison.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Joanna of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by her and/or those of other PCVs in the country.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.

Community Description
Talas City is the oblast center of Talas Oblast, which is located in the Talas Valley in northwestern Kyrgyzstan near the Kazakh border. The city’s current population is about 30,000.

Talas City was originally founded as a Russian trading town in the late 1800’s, but grew into a regional hub during the Soviet regime. With the exception of one cheese factory on the outskirts of town, all Soviet-era industry has been stripped out of the region.

The roads continue to deteriorate and the town’s airport lies derelict. The region’s main economy is now agriculture, with a specific focus on beans that are exported to Turkey.

Talas Oblast Lyceum Complex is a private school for middle and high school age students. It is located inside an old Soviet-era Kindergarten. The school draws many students from the city, but it also has dormitories to accommodate village students.

Project Description
This project is to build a new outhouse at the school. The structure will be built of wood, which will make it economical, flexible, and easy to maintain.

The design enables the structure to be easily moved every two years. In that way, the excrement that has accumulated can be removed, and the hole then filled at the old location.

A contractor has been selected and is set to begin. The project can be completed in one week.

Project Impact
This project will serve 220 students and 36 teachers.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Cameron Blume

Comments
It is imperative that projects done by Appropriate Projects arise from the community and utilize technology that is appropriate for the location and circumstances. In this case, inexpensive construction, ease of use, and economy of maintenance were key factors.

Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00

Donations Collected to Date
$120.00

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 Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.

Dollar Amount Needed
$380.00

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.