Blog Posts tagged with "kindergarten"

U.S. European Command recently invested $170,000 to upgrade a kindergarten in Erseke, Albania, but based on the turnout for the ribbon cutting Sept. 14, you would have thought the town won a million dollar lottery. 

The school, formerly used to house Kosovo refugees in the late 1990s, received only minimal maintenance funding since it was built in 1978.  With EUCOM funding, upgrades were made to the floors, walls, electrical and plumbing systems and an emergency egress stairway was installed.  What was once a building in a severe state of decay became the pride of this town of approximately 8,000 residents. 

U.S. Ambassador to Albania Alexander Arvizu dances with the children of a kindergarten in Erseke, Albania, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony signifying the completion of a $170,000 renovation project.

The school is attended by 95 children between the ages of 3 and 6, but nearly every parent, teacher and member of the Erseke community could be found at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The townspeople’s respect and appreciation for the U.S. and DOD investment in their community was clearly evident. 

An investment of $170,000 in a U.S. school probably would not have covered the cost of renovating one room, but in Albania it resulted in a new foundation in education for an entire community. Director Shega, the school’s principal, and I discussed the need to sustain the building, but, more importantly, discussed the need to sustain the children through education, the children who are Albania’s future. 

EUCOM partners with Albania to help the government provide essential services and, in turn, build a partnership to support US/NATO regional security and global missions. The small investment in Erseke will pay dividends towards our partnership with Albania for generations.