Epress.am News from Armenia
The USAID-funded Small Scale Infrastructure Program (SSIP), implemented by Cooperative Housing Foundation International (CHF) and Shen NGO, today marked the completion of renovation works at the Vahan village kindergarten in Gegharqunik province, now allowing 40 children of the community to get proper preschool education in the village, reads a press release issued by Cooperative Housing Foundation Armenia Branch.
The ceremony was attended by Governor of Gegharqunik Nver Poghosyan, USAID/Armenia Acting Program Officer Sheryl Grossman, Mayor of Vahan Gourgen Balyan, representatives of USAID, CHF, Shen NGO and the community.
In a village not far from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the two-story building of the kindergarten was built in the late 1960s and required extensive renovation to be operational again after sheltering Armenian soldiers in the 1990s.
CHF completely reconstructed the first floor of the kindergarten including interior redesign, installed windows and doors, replaced the floor, plastered and painted the walls, improved the electric wiring, hot and cold water system, bathroom and roof. CHF also installed a new heating system, addressed landscaping at the site, and replaced the windows on the second floor to protect the building from rain and safeguard the project’s investment on the first floor. Shen NGO furnished the kindergarten.
Thanks to the SSIP project, 17 people from the community acquired short-term employment for a total of 1,395 labor days, and 7 people will receive permanent jobs in the kindergarten in the capacity of director, accountant, teachers, and kitchen and janitorial staff.