School Repair Projects Inspire Uzbek Communities to Action

Mercy Corps is helping to improve the learning conditions for students in Uzbekistan through community-driven school repair projects. Photo: Colin Spurway/Mercy Corps

In Uzbekistan, as in many of the former Soviet Republics, the tradition of providing an excellent education to youth has withheld the test of time. Unfortunately, the physical infrastructure of that education system has not been so durable. In most communities, it is not a lack of desire that prevents children from getting the best possible education, but more often than not, rotted floors, leaky roofs, defunct heating systems and a lack of funds to repair them.

These were the problems faced by schools in Chartak and Kosonsoy, Uzbekistan. When Mercy Corps' Community Action Investment Program (CAIP) teams asked residents of these communities to identify projects that could help address local problems, all three prioritized repairing their schools above all others.

When citizens decided to repair the roof at School 24 in Kosonsoy, attention was brought to the many needs of this community cornerstone. Once Mercy Corps began to construct a new roof for the building itself, the local government agreed to purchase new desks, pour concrete over the rotting wooden floors and buy new chairs for teachers. The director now beams with pride as she describes the assistance they received from not just Mercy Corps, but the local government. "This is just the beginning," she says with a smile, as she tours visitors through the new repairs and purchases.

One major interruption to schooling can be the weather in these harsh climates. When the heating system gave out in School 32 in Kosonsoy last year, the director felt he would have no other option but to shut down the school when winter arrived this year. When residents in his community agreed that this was a top priority, the CAIP team was able to overhaul the heating system, installing new furnaces and piping to all buildings at the school. Community members contributed more than 30 percent of the total project cost by providing all of the metal piping and most of the physical labor, while Mercy Corps purchased the furnaces and contracted a welder. After successful implementation, the school’s director is not the only one grateful. Students and teachers are thrilled alike to have a modern heating system making their home away from home as comfortable as it should be.

The open pit toilet facility at School 47in Chartak was built the same year as the school, more than 30 years ago. After years of usage, the small building now barely stands in a horrible state of disrepair, with crumbling mortar, holes in the roof, and appalling sanitary conditions. For a school with over 200 children, this lone facility was no longer suitable for usage. When the Community Action Group (a group of residents from all walks of life who collectively manage the project) presented the CAIP team with a budget that far exceeded reasonable costs, it became apparent that two group members intended to profit from this activity. When negotiations hit a stalemate between the CAIP team and the CAG, it was the determination of the school's director that inspired the vast majority of CAG members to do what was right for the children. Once both sides came to agreement, construction began on a new toilet that will now provides the students with a much more clean and healthy option.

All three of these projects will make a lasting contribution to their communities. But more than the projects themselves, the renewed commitment from local authorities and residents alike should go a long way towards strengthening an education system that has grown accustomed to doing so much with so little.

The USAID-funded Community Action Investment Program (CAIP) is a three-year, $9.8 million project addressing social instability and aiming to alleviate potential sources of conflict in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and in the Ferghana Valley area of Uzbekistan. CAIP focuses on promoting dialogue, improving standards of living and facilitating stronger cooperation among communities and local government. This goal is achieved primarily though Community Action Groups, made up of local community and civic leaders, which determine priorities and guide the design of both social and physical infrastructure projects, aimed at reducing the potential for conflict.