Pino Ciaccio Kindergarten in Lanjik inaugurated
A completely new building at 1,800 metres above sea level – named after our long-standing board member.
In December 2021, the foundation was able to hand over its latest building: a kindergarten in the small municipality of Lanjik in western Armenia. Lanjik lies at around 1,800 metres above sea level. The landscape is barren and the winters are harsh.
The foundation had originally intended to renovate an existing building. However, a detailed structural survey showed that a renovation would have been too costly. Instead, the foundation constructed a completely new building. The kindergarten has a floor area of 375 square metres and stands on 3,000 square metres of land.
The building contains playrooms, a bedroom, administrative rooms and a kitchen. It is heated by a heat pump, there is a hot-water system on the roof, and it has been prepared for the installation of a photovoltaic system. The aim is to keep the building as reliably warm as possible.
As everywhere in Armenia, the kindergarten is not directly comparable with a kindergarten in Switzerland. Even younger children from the age of three attend, and they are looked after all day – lunch and an afternoon nap included.
The children all come from poor families. There is some work in agriculture in Lanjik, but the families essentially live on money sent home by fathers who have found work in Russia.
The outdoor areas, including a playground, have yet to be landscaped. This work will follow in spring, when it is warmer.
In honour of our long-standing board member Pino Ciaccio, the foundation has named the kindergarten after him. The total cost of the project came to CHF 235,000.
About the project: Pino Ciaccio Kindergarten in Lanjik