Renovating Berd's Kindergarten and College

Renovating Berd's Kindergarten and College Providing Essentials for Armenian Children and Students
ABOUT BERD
	Berd is located in northeastern Armenia . It is the central town of the Shamshadine region, a region consisting of 16 villages and approximately 32,000 people. Berd itself has approximately 8,000 Within Armenia, the area is well known for its pretty forested hills as well as wine producing grapes. The locals tend to be friendly and hospitable.
Twenty years ago, people's lives were better in certain respects. A giant Soviet electronics factory had employed a large part of the Berd population, and relations with the Azerbaijani people were peaceful. But along with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Berd electronics factory closed. War started with Azerbaijan. As Berd is on the border, it suffered greatly during the war. Many buildings were bombed and innocent people killed. Today unemployment is 50%. School teachers earn merely 20,000dram (40 dollars) per month. Recently, Berd has been slowly developing. Within merely the past two years, the streets were repaired, 2 schools were renovated, 10 new stores opened, and a French cognac factory started operating. Moreover, people seem to be embracing their new democratic system, and have hope for the future. Development projects are facilitating this positive momentum.

BERD KINDERGARTEN #2

On five days a week, 30 employees and 170 children go to Berd's Kindergarten #2. The children, who range from three to six years old, spend six hours a day, 12 months a year in the Kindergarten. The Kindergarten does not only provide an opportunity for children to socialize, learn, and get nourishment, but it also frees-up time for mothers to leave their houses. So it's an important resource for a vast number of people in Berd.

Parents pay only 1000dram (about two dollars) per month. This small fee enables relatively poorer people to use this resource. The kindergarten provides three meals per day. Some of these children would not receive proper nourishment otherwise.

The kindergarten has dealt with extreme hardships. It was partially destroyed by incoming bombs during the war with Azerbaijan. Melania Khachatryan, the director of 15 years, remembers a bomb raid when she rushed 150 frightened children to the basement. While the children were crying, they heard glass shattering and walls crashing down after a bomb exploded in their yard. Today, 12 years later, these windows are still missing.

Berd State College has been educating local students since 1981. The college has a staff of 25 people, and around 200 students. Most recently, the three specializations at the college have been 1) Management 2) Teaching on the Primary Level and 3) English. Students graduate in three years. Many graduates become teachers in the schools of the region.

Forty percent of the students come from Berd and sixty percent from the various surrounding villages. In general, the college’s students are young people who want to continue their education, but do not have the opportunity to study in a university in Yerevan. This is often due to the relatively high costs of studying in Yerevan. At the college, 28% of the students receive tuition waivers.

The college is lacking many facilities. There is no drinking
water on the premises. The outdoor bathrooms are barely useable. There is one text-book for every 20 students for each subject. Heating is provided by dangerous and unhealthy wood-burning ovens. Classroom furniture is uncomfortable and falling apart. The college has various important needs.

PROJECT GOALS

To give young people of Berd the chance to learn and grow in a healthy and comfortable environment.

To positively affect the people who are involved in the process, whether by refining the skills of Berd laborers, expanding the social networks of the organizers, or putting donators in touch with Armenians.

OBJECTIVES

Note: While designing these objectives, the organizers focused on the most serious needs at each institution, and left-out anything that was not essential.

Kindergarten # 2

    •     Renovate kitchen (successfully accomplished)
    •     Obtain new cooking supplies (pots, plates, utensils, etc.)
    •     Renovate children's classrooms and sleeping areas (including laying carpeting, fixing wall cracks, painting, replacing windows, etc.)
    •     Renovate hallway
    •     Install gutters and building drainage system
    •     Repair three pupils' bathrooms
    •     Replace sewage pipes (which are now leaking into some of the walls)
    •     Obtain toys, books, and sports equipment

Berd State College

    •     Obtain books for all of the college courses (successfully accomplished)
    •     Install pipes from a water source 1 mile away to the college building
    •     Construct indoor bathrooms with plumbing
    •     Replace the current wood ovens with a water-run central heating system
    •     Obtain new, and repair old, classroom furniture
    •     Repair the college gym and auditorium room into a useable condition

College staff looking through the new books purchased through this project, March 2005.

A teachers' meeting in a classroom. The wood burning oven is seen in the center.

DONATIONS

All donations are tax deductible and can be made in one of two ways.
If you would like to see 100% of your donation go to the Berd Renovation Projects, make checks payable to “CYSCA ASAP” and earmarking it for Berd projects.

Mail donation checks to:
CYSCA
c/o of Jack Medzorian
8 Berkshire Drive
Winchester, MA 01890
USA

If you have questions, contact Jack at:
JACK MEDZORIAN
Board Director - CYSCA
Address:
8 Berkshire Drive
Winchester, MA 01890
USA
Email: jmedzorian@aol.com