Reopening ceremony shows combined effort to renovate Zimnitsa kindergarten

ZIMNITSA, BULGARIA

09.16.2009

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Osvaldo Sanchez 

Task Force - East

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ZIMNITSA, Bulgaria — It was a bright, sunny day on a playground adorned with colorful balloons and shiny streamers. Children, smiling and singing, were holding hands while dancing in a circle to traditional Bulgarian songs.

The reopening of the Sinchec Kindergarten drew in a crowd of spectators and they surrounded the little dancers for this joyous occasion.

Children and their parents attended the ceremony with the kindergarten staff, local government officials, and both U.S Army and Navy military, here Sept. 16, 2009.

"All the parents and citizens will see what the Americans and Bulgarians have done working together to improve the school," said Maria Dimitrova, the kindergarten director. "I'm sure the children and their parents will be amazed with the finished rooms."

The first organized group of children in the village was in 1953, when cooperative farming was established and parents started to work from early in the morning until late at night throughout the year. Children were gathered in the mixed group of eight-months to six-year olds at the time.

In 1965, groups of children were allowed into a newly constructed building, which later became the kindergarten. It included a basement with a kitchen, laundry room, and storage area for wood and coal.

The official opening ceremony of the Sinchec Kindergarten was held years later on June 1, 1972.

"I was in the first group who attended when the kindergarten opened," Dimitrova said. "We haven't seen any significant improvements since then."

Work started with Seabees of the U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 out of Gulfport, Miss., and select Bulgarian Land Forces military.

U.S. Navy Construction Electrician Chief Corey A. Stevens, a native of St. Louis, and officer-in-charge of NMCB 3 out of Hueneme, Calif., said his team replaced NMCB 11 to finish the job.

Stevens said the interaction between the Seabees and Bulgarian Land Forces was great. "[They] worked very hard and were team-players," Stevens said of the Bulgarian construction team.

"It was great to see the finished product and who it was for," said Stevens. "The thing that topped it off was when we saw the children, the families, the parents and everybody out there showing support and appreciation not only for what we've done for the community, but just the fact that we knew that it meant something."

Door fixtures, walls and plumbing have been upgraded as they were either non-working or in bad condition. Dimitrova said it brightened her day because every day she saw so much progress.

She said it was like a dream and was very grateful of their work. "All the parents have said they are appreciative of the work. I just wanted to thank the soldiers and their superiors for all the work."

"The kids set it off coming out with their costumes dancing and performing," Stevens said with a smile on his face. "And everybody giving thanks and saying how much they appreciate what we did is what made it better for us. The big thing for us at the ribbon-cutting ceremony was to see everybody's face and show how U.S. and Bulgaria can work together."

Stevens said, "You do a job, get used to doing that job and really don't pay any attention of what it's for and who it's for. But it's something about children that makes it better because you know they are our future. Not so much for us, but for their parents, so if it makes it better for them it makes it better for Bulgaria."

The coordination for this project was managed by U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Andrea M. Nelson, a native of Austin, Texas, and civil affairs officer-in-charge of the humanitarian civic assistance program. Nelson said the Seabees were doing their military occupational specialty conducting rudimentary improvements on select facilities.

"People in the military understand what it means to help others and the humanitarian civic assistance program is one way to do that," she said.

Nelson said it felt good meeting Dimitrova who was in the first class of the kindergarten as a child and then grew up to help teach, and later became the director. "Seeing her real genuine appreciation of what we're doing for the town is not something you always get a chance to do in the military. Sometimes it's not even something you get a chance to do at home to see as big of impact of what's basically a small gesture."

There are currently two groups, consisting of nearly 60 children, and since the number of parents who wish to enroll their children in the kindergarten is increasing, the director plans to create an additional group to accommodate all of the children.

She said the new windows are insulated, which helps retain heat during winter months. "You got small children in this drafty school room with one single small wood burning stove. Those new windows and doors make a huge difference."

The Joint Task Force-East humanitarian civic assistance construction projects near the Novo Selo Training Area began in July and are scheduled to be completed by November 2009.

The humanitarian civic assistance mission promotes a healthier environment and improves the quality of life in the local communities in Bulgaria and Romania where U.S. and host nation militaries are conducting combined training.