Written by Lena Kiladze, edited by Elizabeth Sidamon-Eristoff

The conflict that occurred in August of 2008 came as a shock to Georgia. It resulted in many wounded people and nearly 60,000 refugees who came from the conflict region of Shida Kartli which is the old name for South Ossetia. Many of these refugees are now staying in Tbilisi, many of them in abandoned hospitals and public buildings. Some of these refugees were staying in schools and kindergardens, and had to relocate to Gori and neighboring villages when the schools began in September. In one area in Tbilisi (Isani), 1200 refugees have been living in a former Georgian-Russian military hospital for almost three months. Only in late October, with the help of the Red Cross, was water being supplied to these buildings. These refugees get some help from the state, but it is inadequate at best. According to official information, they receive only 1kg of pasta, 300ml of sunflower oil, 0.2 kg of sugar, and 0.5 kg of beans every ten days. The refugees are unable to cook this food due to lack of kitchen facilities. Although they receive occasional donations of clothing and food, the refugees are still struggling every day.

There is another center located in the former Institute of Plants n the Bagebi area of Tbilisi where 120 IDP’s from Kekhvi, Eredvi and Dzarcemi- villages of Didi Liakhvi Valley in South Ossetia who have no place to go).

From its foundation, American Friends of Georgia has tried to lessen the struggles of people in Georgia, and with help from the Transfiguration Church, two projects, a sewing workshop and a kindergarten, have been started to help the IDP’s.

The first project is a sewing workshop for the refugee women. It is located in one of the empty halls of the Institute of Plants, where ten women are paid to provide warm blankets to the refugees. The seamstresses make nearly 30 blankets per day, and a manager of the workshop, Eliko Pavliashvili reported that, “All the women work with enthusiasm, because money is a good motivation, and at the same time it is like therapy for us”. The women are paid according to the number of blankets they make, and are very thankful for the opportunity to make money and provide assistance at the same time. Ms. Pavliashvili also mentioned to me how severe the living conditions of the refugees are. She told me that she has been wearing the same dress and jacket she arrived in in August, and that to meet the winter conditions she has only been provided with a pair of flip-flops. Nunu Kakhniashvili, a 68 year old IDP from Kekhvi mentioned how she cries almost every day and the workshop is the only place where she can forget about her own house which she no longer has and have a little hope.

The second project is the establishment of a kindergarten for the three to six year children of the refugees. The kindergarten is on the grounds of the former hospital in the Isani Center and serves as a refuge for 40 children. At the kindergarten, the children are provided with toys, healthy food, and experienced teachers. The kindergarten is a place where they can express themselves, and speak about their hopes and fears for the future. One of the children, David, who is a 6-year-old boy from the village Khsuisi, wants to become an architect.

(Another foundation –Elizabeth Gast’s foundation is participating in the organization of kindergarden.

Through projects such as the sewing workshop and the kindergarten, American Friends of Georgia is working to provide hope and a better future for the refugees living in Georgia. The refugees are very optimistic, and despite their harsh conditions, continue to have hope for the future. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Eteri Andjaparidze, a member of AFG’s Advisory Board, is a distinguished international prize winning pianist. Winner of the Montreal and Tchaikovsky international music competitions and named People’s Artist by her native Republic of Georgia. Eteri is currently Associate Professor of Piano and head of the Keyboard Department at the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, Illinois. The AmerKlavier Studio, which Eteri founded, and the Alioni Choir, Chicago’s new Georgian folk singing ensemble, will perform for the benefit of war victims in Georgia.

Belden Stratford Salon Musicale
Saturday, November 15, 2008 3:00 pm
The Belden Stratford, 2300 N. Lincold Park West, Chicago

AmerKlavier Studio and Alioni Choir
Directed by Eteri Andjaparidze and Clayton Parr
Perform Piano and Choral Music in a Concert-Benefit for the Georgian War Relief Fund

Giorgobistve

Donations are greatly appreciated by American Friends of Georgia, a public charity supported by people from all over the world to provide humanitarian assistance to the country of Georgia.

All donations are tax deductible and accepted at the performance in cash and or checks payable to: American Friends of Georgia, War Relief Fund

You may also contribute by sending your check or credit card information to American Friends of Georgia, Inc. P.O. Box 1200, Truro, MA 02666

Or by using the secure on-line system at https:www.afgeorgia.org

“What you give away is yours. What you keep is lost forever.”
Form the 12th century Georgian epic poem, The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin by Shota Rustaveli

AFG sponsored the performance which took place on October 19, 2008. It was arranged by Lena Kiladze, Executive Director/AFG Georgia. The story was written by Tamara, her assistant. The “Club of Puppet Makers” with their whimsical marionettes and humorous stories are a partner in AFG’s Art Rehabilitation Project for Vulnerable Children:

For most people, the theatre is a relaxing place where people can go to enjoy themselves. But for the 30 children and their parents, all refugees of South Ossetia, who I met today, the theatre meant much more.

When I entered the place where they were staying, I immediately noticed their excitement for the theatre production, “Mooo,” that we were about to see. It was early in the morning, but everyone was ready and waiting for the bus outside. The children asked me at least every minute when the bus would arrive, and when it finally appeared they all rushed towards it, eager for our trip to begin.

The play took place at the puppet theatre in Rustaveli Cellar. The children all had a lot of fun during the play, and the halls were filled with their laughter and entertaining comments and questions. When the play ended they were allowed to enter behind the scenes to see the puppets and to be introduced to the actors. Ann, a 5 year girl from the village Tamarasheni, refused to go backstage because she was so afraid of the wolf puppet!

After the play, the children shared their impressions about the trip. For many of them, it was their first visit to the theatre. Beka, an eight year-old boy from village Kurti, liked the scenes with soldiers and tanks. His little sister Nini was impressed by the cow puppet that had sung and danced ballet. Many of them favored the older man who had been telling the story.

The children and their parents were full of positive emotions; their eyes were shining and they were all smiling. For them, this trip to the Rustaveli Theatre was a chance to escape reality, even if it was only for a few hours.

October 10th, Marusya and Lena delivering “Happy meals” for 100 IDP children at kindergarden on Vasha Pshavela avenue.

What is the reality of IDP existence for young people?

We invite you to the launch of an international photo exhibition showing the daily experiences of young people in Georgian IDP centres. Through a child’s eyes is the culmination of an innovative project to provide children and young people in collective with cameras to show how they really live, since their displacement in the recent conflict, not only challenging our understandings of their reality but also revealing incredible natural talent.

 

 

The exhibition, which will be held jointly in Columbia University New York, Tbilisi, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin & Coventry is aimed at raising awareness across the world of the plight of young IDPs whilst also providing a medium through which they can express their own feelings and show their potential for recovery. Each exhibition will also aim to raise funds for positive ventures aimed at social & financial rehabilitation of IDP communities, right here in Georgia.

The organisers will present their action ‘A Day in A Life’ at a reception and guests can join in a ‘charity auction’ and entertainment provided by Tbilisi DJ Tano will go on late into the evening.

Entrance by donation - all proceeds will go to help IDP youth directly.

With the kind support of the Harriman Institute, NY, the global initiative Coordinated Action for Georgia, along with local organisations CHCA & Mkurnali.

http://www.newart.org.ge

http://www.harrimaninstitute.org

We’re still trying to get the hang of blogging here at the AFG offices….  We’re a bit slow in picking it up, but hope to gain speed soon.  Meanwhile, here is an informative report from the UN on displaced persons.

Office of the UN Resident / Humanitarian Coordinator
Situation Report No. 31 on the Situation in Georgia

20081016-georgia-sit-rep-31

We received this from the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN):

In the 21st Century, the world once again faced a grievous reality when armed conflict caused humanitarian and environmental catastrophes. Damage of the natural environment was one of the most severe consequences of the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008.

Georgia is part of the Caucasus Ecoregion, which is among the planet’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, with high proportions of endemic and relict species of plants and animals.  20% to 30% of flowering plants, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and a high proportion of invertebrates living in the Caucasus are found only inside the borders of this ecoregion.

Because Russian military actions extended well beyond the agreed South Ossetian Conflict Zone, areas of high conservation value were severely affected, and biodiversity of global significance was put at risk. Hundreds of hectares of unique forests were burned in the famous Borjomi Gorge of central Georgia, which includes the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park (IUCN Category II; the only national park in the Caucasus granted a PAN Parks certificate in 2006). Multiple forest fires ignited by Russian aviation affected the national park itself and the contiguous areas. For several days, it was impossible effectively to fight the fires because the Russian military denied safe access to additional firefighting forces and firefighting aircraft.

Furthermore, the Russian military attacks in western Georgia, that is, blasting and sinking Georgian vessels in the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti, caused spillage of large amounts of hydrocarbons as well as hydraulic oil from the vessels. This caused pollution of the Black Sea and, consequently, negatively impacted the Kolkheti National Park and the wetlands protected by the Ramsar Convention.

In the modern world, the living environment is not a property of a single country and its destruction is not a problem of a single country and single region—we are well aware that the Earth is our common home.

We appeal to environmental organizations around the world as well as to the international community to condemn the military aggression that caused severe damage to globally important biodiversity areas. We should all work together to ensure that such actions will never be allowed to happen again on the planet.

Signatures:

• Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
• WWF Caucasus office
• Green Wave
• NACRES
• The Regional Environmental Center for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus)

IDP’s Stories
Manana Galegashvili, 53 year old school teacher from Achabeti. Her husband, Andro Razmadze, was an engineer and had a heart problem. They were taken prisoner by Russian militia and spent 3 days in a terrible situation in the cellar of a house in Tskhinvali together with 6 other people. Andro felt himself very bad…. He needed medical help. After exchange with other prisoners they were transferred to Tbilisi where Andro died the next day. It was too late for him! Now Manana stays at one of the Shelters at Tamarashvili Street in Tbilisi together with 1000 other IDP’s.
Tsira Aduashvili, 37 years old from Karaleti. I met Tsira when she was crying on her bed wearing a nurse uniform….on Tamarashvili Street in a temporary shelter (building given to IDPs). She was crying and it was very difficult for her to talk. I asked her to help us to find out what happened…
She started to talk. As a nurse she was working at Gori Hospital. When Russians started to bomb Gori, their group was waiting to go to see some wounded people. She saw how people fell down, she saw glass, windows falling down….people were crying and asking for help. During the first bombing exposure their driver lost a leg…after the second exposure she did not remember how she fell down…she saw her team doctor Tamuna Kareli wounded…later she find out that she had died…
Now Tsira cannot concentrate. She told me she only hears this sound of exposure and the sound of people asking for help! Then she starts to cry again…
I asked Tsira to help me –to go around and collect medical needs of people…let’s see what she can do? I think keeping her important to us we will help her as well because she was a nurse…she promised…

Dear Friends,
August 27-Great news our 2 containers (value of 1.4 million USD, gathered by Project HOPE for AFG’s medical projects) arrived in Tbilisi at the Lilo terminal! These are the first containers to arrive from Poti-as you know Poti port has been closed and part of Russian army is still in Poti. Our containers arrived at Poti on August 6- the day before the crisis in Georgia started.
I was afraid that we would not be able to receive our containers, because Russians had been bombing the port + they were trying to take with them everything…
Our containers were saved and we are starting distribution-medicine, medical supplis, equipment and computers for Children’s Republican Hospital, Cancer Prevention Center, Mother Mariam’s Hospice, Children’s TB Hospital, and National Cancer Center.
AFG had already arranged for custom clearance.
We are starting distribution on Monday.
There are some hygienic supplies, children’s medicine and equipment which we decided to gave to IDP’s (Internally Displaced Persons) we are working with. I hope that you will be O’K this!
Warm regards,
Lena