SURENAVAN COMMUNITY PLAYGROUND OFFICIALLY OPENED

Lragir.am
20-09-2007 15:14:20

The official opening of the Surenavan Community Playground For Our
Health took place on Thursday, September 20, the U.S. Embassy
reported. Located in Surenavan Village, Ararat Marz, the brand-new
playground was spearheaded by Surenavan Secondary School teacher,
Alvina Grigoryan, who grew up in the village and has worked with the
Peace Corps for one year. After completing the Peace Corps Project
Design Management workshop in February, she returned home inspired to
improve her community. Grigoryan brought people together to make the
parents and teacher’s dream of a safe and clean playground/recreation
area reality. The village donated the site on school grounds and
provided more than $2,000 in community contributions including time,
labor and materials. The village received a Small Projects Assistance
Grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development through the
U.S. Peace Corps for materials and equipment purchase and solicited
in-kind donations from community members for playground sand and trash
cans. Playground equipment, basketball hoops, tennis and volleyball
nets and eight Armenian-flag-colored benches were installed at the
beginning of September. The project will conclude in November with the
planting of 100 decorative trees. More than 50 Peace Corps volunteers
cleaned the playground and constructed the benches, basketball hoops,
and tennis and volleyball equipment.

The playground equipment was constructed by Magnon Playground &
Equipment Company, a Gyumri-based business that has constructed
playgrounds throughout Armenia and has worked with internationally
recognized organizations including USAID and WorldVision. The
community chose equipment based on teacher input, student activities
and community needs. "We knew based on a community needs-assessment
and focus group that the village had no place where adults and
children could relax outdoors. Before today there was nowhere for
students to play and no green space for adults to relax." Grigoryan
said. "The village chose the location for its inclusive atmosphere and
proximity to the school and village kindergarten."
From: Baghdasarian