MARTUNI, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic—Construction crews are building a new kindergarten in the village of Sos–a grape farming community of 1042 residents situated near the border with Azerbaijan.
Sponsored by the Fund’s affiliate in France and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Government, the two-story facility is expected to be complete by the end of summer, ready to accept up to 50 students for the new school year in September.
Located on the first floor are classrooms for up to 25 children, ages 3-4 and include the cafeteria, recreation rooms, the bedrooms, dressing rooms, bathrooms, and storage areas. The second floor will house the principal’s office, a sports gym and game room, as well as recreation rooms and bedrooms for up to 25 children ages 5-6.
The need for a new kindergarten has loomed large in this community for some time now. The existing facility was built in 1976 and designed to accommodate only four groups of children based on age, unable to cope with the needs of the village.
That there was an immediate need to build a new kindergarten here is without a doubt. The current facility’s roof is dilapidated; it’s sewerage network not functioning; the potable water system is out of order; and the doors and the windows are broken down.
The kindergarten was always in this bad of shape. It suffered the bulk of the damages during the early 1990s, when Azerbaijani military forces bombed the village in an attempt to take the land.
During the Artsakh Liberation War, Sos found itself on the frontlines of combat, with its residents rising to defend their community from annihilation. Thirty-eight villagers lost their lives defending the community and although their sacrifices helped save the village, much of it was left in ruins at the end of the conflict. The local school was all but destroyed, while the kindergarten, having suffered from the bombardment, was converted into a field hospital to provide the wounded with emergency medical assistance.
In addition to the new school, Armenia Fund completely rebuilt the village’s water network in 2010, ensuring the people of Sos have round the clock access to clean drinking water at all times.
We’re hoping the new kindergarten will further help our efforts to strengthen this 300-year-old community’s roots and allow its residents to continue living on their ancestral land. You can read more about the project and download monthly project reports and photos here.
Donate today to support projects like the Sos Kindergarten. Click here to make a difference.
