DUSHANBE, December 22, 2008, Asia-Plus — On December 19, the U.S. Ambassador Tracy Ann Jacobson visited the recently renovated the Qumsangir district boarding school, according to press release issued by the US Embassy in Dushanbe.
The United States Department of Defense provided $76,000 in funding and sent a U.S. Army Civil Affairs team to Tajikistan to oversee the project. “The Dusti Company,” a local contracting firm, carried out construction at the site.
The city of Dusti is located in an area with frequent seismic activity, so renovation efforts were aimed at repairs and improvements to reinforce the structure and to upgrade facilities. The improvements included new high quality weather proof windows and doors; replacing the roof of the children’s dormitory that had been damaged in a recent earthquake; renovating the dining room, lavatories, and other common areas with new wiring, wall fixtures, lighting, and paint; and replacing old and broken kitchen equipment with new multi-fuel stoves. Tajik carpenters, masonry experts, electricians and plumbers carried out all of the renovations. With these improvements, the orphanage will see warmer winters for students, and safer and more efficient daily operations for staff.
In February 2008 a United States Army Civil Affairs assessment team came to Tajikistan to identify project sites that would have the maximum positive impact in their communities. This site provides a home and school for children without families in the Qumsangir district. The school needed substantial repairs after multiple earthquakes in recent years.
Overall, the Civil Affairs team has allocated $185,000 for the renovations at the Qumsangir Boarding School, the Teacher Training Institute in Khujand, School #17 and the School for the Blind in Isfara. With these funds, they also distributed more than 1,300 blankets in the Sughd province.
Civil Affairs teams specialize in civil assessment, humanitarian assistance planning, and host-nation capacity improvement projects throughout the developing world.
Continued advancement in public education is a priority to the United States mission in Tajikistan.
