Together We Can Do It
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The Alaverdi Music School was constructed in 1945, and was last renovated 25 years ago. It is one of the oldest buildings in the city and its first music school. Due to the conditions of the school, classes have been arranged in two shifts. Apart from a general renovation of the entire building, the school also required a new heating system, as the school was heated using wood-stoves.
In previous years, the school administration and municipality had applied to various organizations to renovate the school building – however, the volume of works was too much for most donor organizations working in Armenia.
By 2008, the USAID-financed LGP3 Program had already agreed to provide the heating system for the school. As part of its program set-up, LGP3 would provide the heating system’s materials and equipment, while the local government would finance its installation.
BRIDGE was also interested in the renovations, but realized it could not finance the remaining works by itself. BRIDGE staff and the mayor brought this issue to the UNDP, which agreed to participate in the project under its Performance Budgeting Program. CHF already implemented two projects with UNDP in previous years (Ijevan City Park and Artik Children’s Creative Center).
BRIDGE took a leading role to coordinate the works, and at one point, three different contractors were simultaneously working on the facility, sub-contracted to BRIDGE, UNDP and the municipality.
The renovation was also an important venue to demonstrate the work of vocational trainees. BRIDGE removed seven rooms from the volume of works of its contractor – and gave responsibility for the renovation of this space to 10 painting and plastering, and 4 wood flooring trainees.
After the renovation the number of children attending the Alaverdi Music School students has increased to 130, and the school has organized a number of activities for the community in the main hall. At the opening ceremony in January, World Vision International had provided a set of jazz musical instruments – today the school has created a jazz band that brings together 12 students from the school.
The Music School’s Director Hripsime Shahinian notes: ”Today we have a nice school with comfortable classrooms that attract more children and parents. There were many students that wanted to leave our school because of bad conditions…I don’t really blame them. But now, after the renovation, they have changed their minds and are happy at our school…mostly, I am happy that during the upcoming winter, unlike for the past fifteen years, we will be able to work in a clean school free of the smell of burning wood and kerosene.”
