So are your friends expecting to get this plant back from you? Or are you going to keep, since they are moving back to the States, but not nearby?

First of all, do not feel guilt. This poor violet needed some help long before you came to have it in your care. It is overgrown with at least one sucker, has a neck that shows its been ages since its been repotted - and worst of all, it's in a self-watering pot. If you were to search this forum for that term, you'd find lots of advice about them - all against. They are the death of more African Violets...well, it was not your choice and you had no idea. Can you revive the whole plant without taking some drastic measures? I would say not. The one side of the plant is done for. The other side is quickly going the same way - and more than likely the roots are rotted. So. Now what to do? From your photos, it appears that the one side has a crown in pretty good shape and I think you should focus your attention on saving that while you can. Here is a link to a tutorial by Joyce Stork that will give you the information you need to restart that crown. Please watch it and come back with your questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE0_d_E6NMk  

You'll need some supplies, like potting mix and perlite and a plastic pot...probably something no larger than 3 inches across. You can even use recycled containers (yogurt?) if you punch holes in the bottom for drainage.

And as to a place in your home where it should be kept - an east window
is great, but other exposures can work, too and since you say you don't
get any direct sun I won't caution about putting it in a south facing
window since you won't need to worry about too much sun. You don't say
where in the country you are, so I don't know how cold that windowsill
(or that bathroom) might be but AV's like to be warm and comfortable -
just like you do. If it feels cold there to you, the plant will be cold
as well. You can even put this plant under artificial light as it shows in the video; a lamp with a compact florescent bulb would work great over it, but you can't keep it where it is going to be cold or dark.

Sorry if this doesn't sound like an easy answer to your problem. You can most likely save a part of this plant, but you need to do some research here and read about re-potting and basic care if you're going to be successful. What you say you know about AV's (not watering from above) is not true either, so you have a lot to learn about them. You can do this, though! Please do ask more questions - we all want your (or your friends'?) plant to survive.

Thanks- I will watch the video and make a trip to the hardware/garden store when I get home from work today.

Well, we'll see what happens. I made the container of new soil before I pulled the AV out of the old pot. I would have used a smaller container (I've heard to use a small pot for a small plant) but I didn't know how little of the plant would still (maybe) be viable. There's very little stem under there- I really just stuck a bunch of connected leaves in the soil. It's now in a plastic bag and will be sitting in the kitchen under the range hood fluorescent light. I hope it's bright enough and does some good. I also hope re-potting it on the obits section of the paper isn't an omen. Thanks again, Anne, for your help.

I do hope your violet makes it! Just don't keep it too wet. Just my opinion, but I would have put more perlite in the soil to lighten it up. It still looks a little heavy to me. It could just be the pix. Anyway there is nothing new I can give you that Anne hasn't already advised.

Keep us posted and ask more questions! We will do our best! Rosie

Thank you for thinking to post photos of what you did - that helps a great deal in advising you! If you see a lot of moisture forming on the inside of the bag, open it just a bit to let it dry out and then close it again. Yes, it could have done with a smaller container in relationship to the size of the crown you have left (usually a pot should be 1/3 the size of the plant's diameter,) but let it be for now and we'll all keep our fingers crossed. Don't worry about how little of the plant is left; even one leaf can root and start a new plant. :-) So for now, don't add any more water, keep it warm and fairly bright and monitor the moisture inside its little greenhouse by opening and closing the plastic bag. It will take it a few weeks to root. Keep us posted!