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U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania John F. Tefft to visit Panevezys and Fulfill the U.S. Promise to Fund the Deaf Children’s School Renovation Project

June 3, 2003

On Thursday, 5 June 2003, exactly one year after visiting the Panevezys School for Deaf Children to announce the beginning of a special project to fund the renovation of the school, U.S. Ambassador John F. Tefft will again visit the school. This school has worked with the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation on a building renovation project since submitting a proposal in 2001. This year additional funding for the renovation project of the Panevezys School for Deaf Children was approved by the Humanitarian Assistance Program Office of U.S. Armed Forces European Command (EUCOM) Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

At a small school ceremony at 11.30h, Ambassador John F. Tefft will present the Panevezys Deaf Children School Director Danute Krisciuniene a formal letter detailing the new donation for the school's renovation. Director D.Krisciuniene will work with U.S. Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation to finalize the technical scope of the project, and will ask for local construction companies to bid on the project. A contract will be awarded to the winner of the competition before the end of August this year.

Humanitarian Assistance Projects of this kind are executed by Military Commands, such as EUCOM, through Offices of Defense Cooperation at U.S. Embassies. EUCOM funds and coordinates a variety of projects in Africa and Europe. However, until recently the U.S. Government Humanitarian Assistance Program funding was suspended worldwide for a little less than two years by the U.S. Congress, due to funding requirements for other fields. Previously approved and already finished EUCOM Humanitarian Assistance projects in Lithuania include hospital renovations in Siauliai and Taurage, an orphanage renovation in Palanga, the renovation of two regional Civil Protection Training Centers, and other projects with a total value exceeding $900,000.

While in Panevezys on June 5, Ambassador Tefft will also meet the Mayor of Panevezys, Mr. Vitas Matuzas, at 1100h.

Contact information:

-Deaf Children School Director Danute Krisciuniene, Tel: (45) 517300

-U.S. Embassy ODC, Maj Paige Thorner, Tel: (5) 266 5641/ 5643; www.eucom.mil