During the recent earthquake in Vanj district, in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), all three schools retrofitted in recent months by Focus Humanitarian Assistance withstood the tremors without incurring damage.
In 2009, as part of its on-going mission to foster disaster-resilient communities in Tajikistan, FOCUS piloted the School Safety Initiative Project in collaboration with the Government of Tajikistan and the United States Department of Agriculture.
The project identified 12 pilot schools in the districts of Vanj, Rushan, Shugnan and Roshtqala in GBAO. A number of disaster risk reduction interventions were applied, including a risk assessment and mapping, structural retrofitting of the schools, earthquake risk awareness, and preparedness trainings for the communities.
According to the Director of one of the pilot schools located in Paishanbeobod, a village affected by the quake, “the [retrofitted] school is very safe and a model of how to construct community infrastructure.
via ReliefWeb » Document » Tajikistan : News Bulletin No.13, 27 Jan – 10 Feb 2010.
Ismailimail 