Newly renovated school opens in Kveshi

On January 15, the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a newly renovated public school took place in the village Kveshi, lo¬cated near the Administrative Boundary Line. CDA Elizabeth Rood, Governor Giorgi Kho¬jevanishvili, Minister of Educa¬tion, Science, Culture and Sport Mikheil Chkhenkeli, Mayor Representative Konstantine Tavzarashvili, Metropolitan An¬dria Gvazava of Gori and Ateni and School Principal Lela Bibi¬luri participated in the ceremony and addressed the public.

The Kveshi Public School is a kilometer away from the Administrative Boundary Line, and the population in this area faces various social and economic challenges due to the ongoing so called “border” demarcation process begun by Russian troops after the 2008-armed conflict. The school is a three-story build¬ing which serves around 200 students from two neighboring villages, consisting of over 800 households.

US EUCOM’s Humanitar¬ian Assistance Program pro¬vided funding in the amount of $880,000 through the United States Department of Defense Overseas Humanitarian, Disas¬ter, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) appropriation for a complete renovation of Kveshi Public School. The purpose of this proj¬ect was to improve the learning as well as the sanitary/hygiene conditions of the approximately two hundred students enrolled in the school. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) conducted the renovations. The Kveshi School Renovation proj¬ect provides for a complete reno-vation of the three-story school, including new interiors (walls, windows, doors and flooring), reconstructed stairwells, new roofing, a new insulated build¬ing facade, new restrooms, new domestic water and wastewater systems, a new heating system and new electrical work. The project also includes a perimeter fence and improved storm water management.

The project is the best exam¬ple of how collaboration between the U.S. and Georgian govern¬ments can lead to lasting positive results – particularly in the field of education.