122. School Heating

 When the soviets were in control of Moldova resources were readily available.  The Soviet Union was pretty much self sufficient.  Russia had coal and lumber, Moldova grew vegetables, Georgia grew oranges, etc.  When the Soviet Union collapsed and all of these areas turned into independent countries it wreaked havoc on many systems set in place.

One example is the building which the NGO I work with is located; it was supposed to be a public bathhouse (this was before the city water was put in).  It was completed or just about completed when the Soviet Union collapsed and everything was in flux, people were worried and did not know what to do or what would happen to the government.  People from the village raided the bathhouse and before even one person bathed there the construction materials and everything else was claimed and removed.

Another thing that was affected was the heating system in my village.  There is a large coal burning facility that produced hot water that was pumped to the school, town hall, public building and shops in the center of town.  When the Soviet Union collapsed the prices of coal skyrocketed because it would have to be imported from another country unlike before where it was provided by the Soviet Union.

Because the government could not keep the heating facility operating there was no heat in the school for many years.  The director of the NGO I work with, who was a student during and after the Soviet Union collapse, said that everyone dressed as warmly as possible and the school days were shorter in the winter.  It must have been terribly difficult to study and learn when the whole school was below freezing.  Somewhat recently a wood and straw burning facility has been built next to the school to provide heat.

This video was made about the heating system: