concrete is set

Workers at the Bashkia have begin to set the foundational concrete that is needed for the playground equipment I mentioned in my last post.  So far things have been moving extremely fast. I didn't expect to receive the equipment so soon (next day free "shipping" - maybe it's called freight) and work by the Bashkia staff to install the concrete basins the following week!

I have been pleasantly surprised by how things are moving.  I am trying to stay on top of things with my counterpart and paying attention to detail and potential issues.

As you will see in future pictures there is a "new" fence that has been installed around the boundaries of a park.  This is great because it keeps kids safe and out of the nearby street.  This fence was not part of our project, although it very well could have been.  It has been up for a few months now and has been damaged a bit by people trying to walk over the fence to reach the entrance (as they originally only created one entrance).  They have since created two other entrances.  Also, to help keep people from climbing over the fence we are planning on moving the plants from the middle of the playground to the edges by the fence so people won't be able to step over.  This will also open up play space for children.

Still to come:

installation of new equipment
repairing of existing equipment
moving plants
removing excess concrete
fix damage to fence
plant grass

Thanks again for all the support!

the wheel in motion...

I just wanted to drop in and give everyone an update on the latest with the Peace Corps Partnership Program project I had funded. Things are actually moving along a lot faster than I expected.  Of course there has been a slight hiccup in the process, but that happens everywhere.

So here's the latest:

We received the funds for the project, and then contacted the supplier of the playground equipment with whom we originally received our quote from.  He was still in business so we took a trip to go check out the quality of the product.  Along the way we also knew of another vendor who deals in playground equipment so we were going to stop there on the drive over.  Unfortunately we drove right past the second vendor as they are pretty well hidden, I hadn't passed by in a while, and they didn't have any equipment out in front of their shop like usual.  We decided to continue on and circle back if we needed to.

Once we arrived at our original vendor the hiccup came.  Unfortunately one of the items we originally requested had been sold, and unlike what we may be used to in American, placing an item "on order" is not an easy process.  So we decided to go with most of our original order, then change out an item so we could maximize the value of our leke (dollar).  We ended up selecting:

Swing set: they also had one that was made from more solid material, but I was convinced by my counterpart that this piece was better for a few reasons: it had more spaces for the children, and although the material on this would break down before the other model (which was much more expensive), the workers at the Bashkia (municipality) could put together the frame using wood and replace any damaged parts.

Teeter totter: who doesn't love a good teeter totter.  They had two versions here, we went with the stronger more durable model.

Spinny thing: nothing says fun like spinning in circles till your dizzy.  This piece was high quality and the pieces that are breakable, are also easily replaced.

Finally, our vendor threw in this horse spring thing at a large discount.  We had a bit of money left in our budget, but not enough to cover the cost.  So we said we would come back later after installing the equipment if we'd like more (being the crafty buyers we were), he came back with a reduced price we could afford (being the good salesman he is) because he didn't want to leave money on the table.

Sometimes it's hard to smile...

But usually it’s hard to stop. As some of you may know about 3 months ago I submitted a Partnership Grant to do complete a Playground Improvement Project in Gramsh for a park that has become run down on the City’s main street. This grant program is a bit unique in that after it is approved by the Peace Corps it is up to the volunteer to raise the funds needed to actually complete the project. All in all, we needed to raise just over $4,000 for the project which will include new equipment for the park, repairing existing equipment, improved landscaping, and a health information component which will be headed by my site mate Kim.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when the time came to ask for donations. Everyone knows that the last couple years in America haven’t been great in terms of the economy and I felt a little strange reaching out to people to ask for money. But I did, and the response was great. I received the donor list of those people who had “checked yes” to share their information with me so I could see that they donated, and keep them in the loop on the project. The list was amazing, it included my family and friends, and family and friends from my site mate Kim, Kim’s dog, and some family and friends of other volunteers who helped spread the word about our project. I cannot express how grateful I am to those of you who helped in any fashion (donations, posting a link, etc.)

My counterpart will be returning next week and that is when we will begin the project. I will keep posting blogs on the project and will send out an email to those of you who provided your emails to keep you apprized of the latest news. Below you can see some pictures of the park in its current condition.

Thanks for all the support.