EU funds also renovated school in Derventa

Today in Derventa, the renovated building of the Public Institution Elementary School „19. april“ was ceremonially opened, symbolically marking the beginning of the new school year. This school suffered extensive damage during the floods in June 2010 and in May of this year, and was renovated under the EU Flood Recovery Programme funded by the European Union, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.  

The cost of the renovation amounted to 52,842.47 euros, and the works included replacement of electrical installations, installation of new sanitary facilities, carpentry and flooring, wall renovation, as well as a new facade. Elementary School „19. april“ is attended by 677 students, and during the works, classes continued without interruption. 

„We are very happy that the financial resources of the European Union enabled the renovation of Elementary School "19. april" after the floods, thus allowing students to continue their education under normal conditions. This is an important step towards normalizing life in the flood-affected municipality of Derventa, which is also the main goal of the EU Flood Recovery Programme. We are implementing similar recovery activities in all flooded areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the aim of helping people and communities that have suffered great damage due to floods. Supporting communities to recover and become more resilient in the future are the foundations of European Union assistance to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina,“ says Andy McGuffie, spokesperson of the EU Delegation to BiH and the EU Special Representative.

„On this occasion, on behalf of the institution, the students, and in my own name, I express great gratitude to the European Union for the invested funds for the renovation of the school, which brought new joy to the faces of our 677 students because they will grow up in better, healthier, and more humane conditions.” said the school principal, Dragica Đekić.

The EU Flood Recovery Programme was launched with the aim of enabling the normalization of living conditions in local communities and ensuring that aid reaches the most vulnerable after the May floods. The financial resources are used for restoring public services and infrastructure, reconstructing housing for the most vulnerable, and the socio-economic recovery of local communities. The total value of the programme is 43.52 million euros, of which 42.24 million was provided by the European Union.