A year ago, in May, the Debed flood completely transformed life in the village of Qarkop. This settlement in the Lori region was the most affected by the natural disaster. Among the infrastructure damaged in the completely isolated village was the kindergarten, which had been closed for 30 years before reopening. During the long recovery period, the people in Qarkop had to resume the old practice of taking their children to kindergartens in neighboring villages. It was not only difficult, but also an added financial burden for families with young children. The people of Qarkop deeply understand the importance of preschool education.
To support the state and the local community, Viva launched the renovation of the kindergarten building and the installation of a local heating system for the school. Active work took place throughout the spring and has now been completed, leaving the associated problems and memories behind. The kindergarten, named “Hekiat” (“Fairy Tale”), has opened its doors to the children of the village.
Read also
“Many issues have been resolved. Children now have the opportunity to attend kindergarten in their own community. They had been deprived of the right to preschool education. The issue of employment was also resolved: previously idle workers can now return to their jobs. This has also eased the financial burden on families,” said Aspram Amirjanyan, the kindergarten’s director.
“At first glance, it may seem that we simply solved a technical issue in the village of Qarkop. Perhaps the renovation of the building or the installation of heating fits into that perspective, but we have strived to achieve a more important result: to brighten the memories of childhood and youth. This is important throughout life, to set bold goals and be determined to achieve them. I want to believe that a comfortable environment will contribute to all of that,” Viva’s General Director Armen Avetisian said.
Viva also solved the problem of heating in the school. The school, which reopened 38 years ago, has never had a proper heating. Classrooms were heated with wood stoves or electric heaters.
According to Marine Ghumashyan, the school’s principal, great efforts were made to ensure classroom temperatures that met sanitary standards, but the temperature did not exceed 18 degrees. Power outages caused the temperature to drop sharply, and smoke from the wood stoves often disrupted lessons. There was also a constant risk of sparks igniting the wooden floors. That difficult chapter is now over. The Qarkop school is ready for the new academic year.
