Tajikistan
In Tajikistan
In Tajikistan, we work with our partner Ravshandilon, a Public Organization. All work on the ground is done by Ravshandilon or by people Ravshandilon engages.
Our work in Tajikistan has been centered around the following activities.
Refurbishing Schools
Our very first project was to repair a reading room in school number 9 in Rushan. This was a trial project to see how things would work with our partner.
Restoring the reading room in School Number 9
The reading room in School Number 9 had been destroyed due to lack of funds and students did not have a place in the school where they could study outside of class. The before and after pictures of the room are shown below.
Refurbishing Schools
Our very first project was to repair a reading room in school number 9 in Rushan. This was a trial project to see how things would work with our partner.
Restoring the reading room in School Number 9
The reading room in School Number 9 had been destroyed due to lack of funds and students did not have a place in the school where they could study outside of class. The before and after pictures of the room are shown below.
Reading room prior to repairs
Students lined up for a picture during our visit to the completed reading room
After the successful completion of this project, we did two more projects with this school.
The windows in the school were broken, and due to cold winters starting in October, students were having a hard time staying warm while in school. They had to keep their warm outside clothes on in class and wear gloves. We collaborated with Ravshandilon, our partner in Tajikistan, to fund the purchase and installation of new windows in this entire school. We paid half the costs of the project while the local government paid for the other half.
Broken windows in School
Broken window with plant growing in from outside
Room with windows replaced
The furniture in the school for students and teachers had not been replaced for a very long time. See the pictures of the condition of the furniture at the school. We agreed to replace all of the furniture during the school break to provide better conditions for students to learn and teachers to teach.
See pictures of old furniture and the new ones that replaced it.
Old classroom desks for students
Condition of some of the furniture being used in school
New furniture in classrooms
Khidejh
Shortly after finishing the furniture project in Rushan, we went north into the Bartang Valley. One of the villages we stopped at was Khidejh. It was a very poor community with only one school. When we visited the school, we were completely floored. There was no electricity wiring in the school except for one bulb in the library. The town had electricity from a hydroelectric project upriver, but there was no money to wire the school properly. In addition, the school was in a complete state of disrepair. It had no toilets (students had to run home to use the toilet at their house if they needed to use one during school), most of the windows were broken, there was no furniture in the classrooms, and, to add insult to injury, the concrete floors had all broken down and mud was coming up through the big potholes in the floor. The walls in the school hallway were crumbling and the floor had worn down to mud so that when it rained it was muddy in the hallways. Needless to say, the environment was not conducive to effective learning.
Hallway in school before repairs
Another hallway needing major repairs
We entered into an understanding with the community that if they would create a proper septic field for a toilet, we would install the toilet building, and we would extend electricity to the whole school from the town and wire the school so that lighting was available. We also fixed the walls and the floor of the school so that it was no longer muddy, and we used some of the usable old furniture from School No 9 in to this school so the students would not have to sit on the floor.
The entire project cost about $5,600 of which $1,155 came locally and the rest came from the Foundation. See documents attesting to the expenditure and the project descriptions below.
Standard reports we receive from Ravshandilon for work completed
Standard financial breakdown we receive from Ravshandilon for work completed
Storeroom built outside of school for heating supplies and storage
This model of working with the community to fix schools worked so well that we started doing this in multiple small villages along the Bartang river valley each year. So far we have partnered in the villages of Midenveth, Roshtkala, Ishkasim, Ravmed, Baghu Village, Roshorv, Ishkashim (School No. 22, which was damaged by an earthquake), Kulumbai Bolo, Khaskharag Ishkasim, Yazgulom, EMC village, Khuf and the Buni village of Shugnan. In some of these villages, we have also assisted in the set up and furnishing of ECD Centers in addition to repairing classroom areas.
Supporting Early Childhood Education Centers
We have refurbished Early Childhood Education Centers in Rushan and financially supported such centers in Khorog operationally and by repairing damaged toilets, classrooms and leaking roofs.
Early Childhood Center that our Foundation supports in Khorog
Damaged toilet used for children in Early Childhood Center in Rushan
Repaired toilet for Early Childhood Center in Rushan
Early Childhood Center in Rushan
Education Center
We built an Education Center in a building in Rushan and equipped it with furniture and electronics that would allow for video conferencing whenever the internet is available. Ravshandilon has held English classes in this education room along with training for new ECD teachers and for a variety of continuing education classes.
Education Center under construction in Rushan
Education Center in Rushan, almost complete
Classes held in Education Center
Internet Access offline
We supplied Rachel Pro units to several schools in Rushan and trained teachers in the use of this tool. See link for https://worldpossible.org/. It has allowed us to bring many educational resources on the internet to communities that do not have easy access to the internet. Units were provided to schools in Tajikistan and in the areas North of Gilgit and Gahkuch.
Training on the use of Rachel Plus units. Incidentally, electricity was off for some time
So training was conducted in partial darkness, operating on batteries.
Computers and Printers
We have installed computers and printers at twenty small schools in Tajikistan. These computers were all loaded with Khan Academy videos so that students can study subjects available from Khan Academy even while their computer is not connected to the Internet.
Rachel Plus units that we brought to Tajikistan to bring the Internet to offline schools