SOS Children in Georgia
Situated at the strategically important crossroads where Europe meets Asia, Georgia has a unique and ancient cultural heritage, famous traditions of hospitality and cuisine and an alphabet which is entirely its own.
The republic is one of the poorest countries of the former USSR - average daily income is £1.50 (£46.60 in the UK). Since independence, the people of Georgia have endured periods of civil war and unrest as well as violence related to the independence aspirations of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Although diplomatic efforts have brought relative stability in recent years, tensions over both regions persist.
Child nutrition remains a concern with almost half of the children screened in endemic areas found to have iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), as does quality education, particularly in rural areas. Our charity began working in Georgia in 1989, but, because of the unstable political and economic situation, it wasn't until 1996 that the first community opened in the capital, Tbilisi, about 5 miles from the city centre, on a site found with the help of the Soviet Lenin Children's Foundation. There are schools and food stores within easy reach and hospitals in the city centre.
The Tbilisi community has 12 family houses and a youth house where the older children can start to lead independent lives. IT training is provided for both them and local youngsters in an SOS Social Centre which has been set up in one of the local schools. A nursery school was built in 1999 which can accommodate 100 children, most of whom come from the neighbourhood.
The charity opened its second community in Kutaisi in western Georgia. It is Georgia's second largest city and is in an area where poverty is still widespread as a result of the civil war in the early 1990s. The land for the village was donated by the government of Georgia. The village currently has 12 family houses and is home to 85 children.
For more information about the work we do in Georgia, see our page, Georgia Orphans.
Local contacts
SOS Children's Villages Georgia
Al. Kazbegi Ave. 11a
0160 Tbilisi / Georgia
Tel +995/32/37 31 57 or +995/32/96 93 56
e-mail: sosgeo@gol.ge
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