Late in 2015, three of seven preschool institutions resumed their work in Avdiivka, with 280 children attending. This has become possible thanks to joint efforts of municipal services, Metinvest Group’s Avdiivka Coke (AKHZ) and volunteers.
Local pre-school facilities were suspended when the hostilities broke out. The marks of shells can be seen on all the buildings: they damaged windows, roofs and walls of kindergartens. After the announcement of the ceasefire, families with small children started coming back to Avdiivka, so it was important to ensure kindergartens are operating in the town.
The whole of Avdiivka undertook repairs. One of the kindergartens received funds to restore the roof, install window frames, glaze windows and replace doors destroyed by shelling. Also, Avdiivka installed new windows and bought water heating units for all kindergartens, and in one of them repaired the heating facility and partially replaced windows.
AKHZ took on the huge task: it restored kindergartens damaged by direct shell hits. In one pre-school facility, the plant built new partition and front walls, repaired the roof, and examined the heating and water supply facilities. Also, they repaired electric ovens in the kitchen and installed four wash-basins in the premises damaged by shelling. Volunteers of Renaissance NGO installed windows in the premises of four kindergarten groups.
Avdiivka Coke replaced the broken windows and doors in two kindergartens, repaired the premises damaged by shells, and restored the roof and windows in one kindergarten.
“I am grateful to everyone who helped reconstruct our pre-school facilities. Only by joint efforts we could have repaired the kindergartens and enrolled kids,” said Liudmila Trehub, head of the Avdiivka Education Department. “Today no one is queuing up to our kindergartens. All parents who wished to send their kids to us have already done so. We are ready to open additional groups in two kindergartens, if needed.”
“We were looking forward to attending the kindergarten again. Children really need to communicate with their peers,” said Olena Serdiuk, mother of a little girl Valeria. “The new windows give light and provide warmth and comfort.”
On the initiative of Rinat Akhmetov, Avdiivka Coke repaired 15 social facilities, 69 residential buildings and 135 private houses in 2015. Investments made UAH 18 million.