Help Us Make Essential Repairs to an Important Art School for the Children of Kirivy Rih

2017 marked the 25th anniversary of Art School #3, located in Kriviy Rih, Ukraine., Today, the school has 160 students in attendance, ranging from 6 to 17 years old.

The children who attend Art School #3 are very gifted and repeatedly win awards in national and international competitions as a result of their education here. However, the school building itself was constructed all the way back in 1956. In it’s 61-year lifespan, it has not been renovated or repaired even once! This is not only a major aesthetic issue, but also highly detrimental to the students’ ability to learn, and even their basic safety. It is absolutely unacceptable to see their primary learning institution in such a decrepit condition.

The facade of the building, in particular, is in a state of emergency, with chunks of plaster falling each day. Many of the exterior windows are cracked beyond repair. Pieces of plaster fall down on the heads of students and teachers every day, and the broken windows provide no protection against the wind and freezing cold, getting as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius in the winter. This is not conducive to a good learning environment, and it is frankly dangerous to our children for things to go on this way any longer.

Together, we have attempted to perform many vital repairs on our own, but it is a time-consuming endeavor and we don’t have the necessary resources to do things the way they ought to be done. Annually, we carry out some cosmetic repairs inside the school, but we lack finances for the more important external issues.

The school administration has been in a struggle for financial help from the government since 2012. However, numerous appeals for financial assistance to replace the window and repair the facade were not met by the state, private bodies, or deputies of all levels. The number of responses and refusals increases every year, as does the amount of plaster falling from the facade of the school, along the main road at 14 Almaznaya Street.

Our requests for help are always met with the same response: “Currently, we don’t have any budget allocated for this. You can apply next year”. There is no reason to expect their answer will ever change. It is time to take matters into our own hands.

Our dream is to see that our children, our bright future, can study at a fully functioning school, where they can grow into happy, capable adults and develop their creative talents. We also want to see the school as a shining gem in our city, a cultural center where children and their parents are inspired to create beauty and do good. Returning Art School #3 to a thriving state of operation is an investment in all of Kriviy Rih.

Please take a moment to look at the photos of the facade, school interior, and children’s works we’ve included here. Understand our need and our story. It is our wish to paint the repaired façade in an artistic, ethnic style which will bring positive influence to both children and adults. We have the design ready for this to happen. All we need now is a little bit of financial support to get things going.

With your support, we look forward to carrying out the repairs and improving the livelihood and education of our city’s future: the children.