Lithuania allocated a million euros from the state budget for this project of the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme, which lasted for more than two years, implemented by the Central Project Management Agency (CPMA) and administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.
Alminas Mačiulis, Deputy Chancellor of the Government of Lithuania, addressed the Avdiivka community at the festive opening ceremony. He said that it was among the most ambitious development cooperation projects in the history of the independent Lithuania. ‘In close cooperation with the Donetsk regional administration, we have sought to equip a war-torn city in eastern Ukraine with a modern education facility and sporting grounds’, said Alminas Mačiulis. ‘This impressive opening ceremony gives a practical meaning to the successful partnership between Lithuania and Ukraine.’
As part of his visit to the Donetsk region, the Deputy Chancellor of the Government has met with the head of the Donetsk region state administration and the mayor of Avdiivka to talk about the successful implementation of the project, which is to bring significant changes in the community of Avdiivka.
The small town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region of Ukraine was occupied back in April 2014 by pro-Russian separatists. In July the same year, it was recaptured by the Ukrainian military, and since then Avdiivka has been in the war zone between Ukraine and Russia on the eastern front line.
Broken windows, walls riddled with bullets - this was what the project participants saw when they came to Adviivka for the first time. The inspiring school project was implemented with the gunshots in the background.
The rebuilt school is now full of laughter and the bustle of children. On 1 September, the school has welcomed about 600 students and 50 teachers. The number of students is expected to grow as the school is now fit to accommodate up to 1 000 students.
Cooperation with Eastern Partnership countries remains among the top priorities for Lithuania’s development cooperation. Lithuania takes on board Ukraine’s needs in transferring best practice for the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, providing support to Ukrainian citizens affected by the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, supporting institutional capacity building, promoting education and health care reforms and entrepreneurship.
