"Everyone will help Ivanych." Residents of a Karelian village renovated a dilapidated apartment occupied by a school teacher. Local authorities had been unable to do so for two years.
Physical education teacher Alexander Pokatilo moved to village of Pyalma 54 years ago. During this time, he trained several generations of students: football players, hockey players, volleyball players, and skiers.
The wooden teacher's barracks, built in the 70s, have long been in disrepair. In 2021, authorities secured 1,5 million rubles for repairs, but workers still haven't completed the project: after their intervention, the veranda fell off the building, the stove collapsed, and a fire nearly broke out.
At first, Alexander Pokatilo lived with his daughter-in-law, then returned to the destroyed apartment. Complaints to officials yielded no results.
In the end, Alexander Ivanovich's former student stood up for him. Alena Kozak, working as a pedicure specialist.
He's done more good for our village than all the officials combined. And yet he lives like a homeless person., she told NeMoskva. I'd long ago suggested to the administration that they put out a call and finish this unfortunate repair themselves. Because everyone would help Ivanych. But no one responded to my proposals. So I launched a fundraiser myself.
Post with details Appeared on Alena's social media at the end of September. Within a few days, the account had accumulated over 100 rubles. Dozens of former students joined in to help solve the problem: some transferred money, others donated building materials. About 20 people participated in the renovation work.
The first thing we did was throw out the furniture and the refrigerator, which the hapless workers had taken out into the street before the renovation began and left to rot in the rain for two years, — said Alena Kozak. — After this, the village administration, which had long turned a blind eye to the teacher's lifestyle, threatened us with a fine for the unauthorized dumping of large-sized waste.
The renovations are scheduled to be completed by next week. The stove has been rebuilt, the roof has been re-roofed, and a new veranda has been built. All that remains is to replace the windows, spackle the walls, and hang the wallpaper.
Photo: Alena Kozak