Babies in Georgian prisons receive much-needed supplies
“The kit has all sorts of different things my baby needs. Now, I know she will be better cared for. The kits are a huge support for us. In our situation, any type of care makes us happy,” said 29-year-old Iana.
Iana gave birth to her baby, now 5-months-old, in prison, and will raise her daughter there until she turns 3-years-old. Then, the prison administration must place the child in an orphanage, as Iana does not have anybody to take care of her child. Iana is sentenced to seven years for burglary. Most of the women in the prison are single mothers like Iana.
There are 660 imprisoned women in Georgia, according to the Penitentiary Department, some of which have children under the age of 3 years old living with them. There are approximately 4,000 children in state run orphanages, reports the Ministry of Education.
“Our aim is to support mothers who have to raise their children in unusual circumstances. Our project aims at supporting vulnerable mothers, and of course imprisoned mothers are among those,” said Marina Menteshashvili, deputy manager, Infant House Transformation project.
The Gift Catalogue began in January this year as part of World Vision’s Infant House Transformation (IHT) project, which aims to prevent infant abandonment by providing emergency support to vulnerable single mothers and pregnant women to help them cope with the financial pressures that lead them to abandon their infants. It supports single mothers through childcare provision and employment services, increasing the effectiveness of Employment Service Centre (ESC) activities in Tbilisi and Makhinjauri.
Developed within the framework of the Child Welfare Reform launched by the government in 2004, the IHT project also promotes and facilitates deinstitutionalization and alternatives to residential care. The project is focused on establishing alternative childcare services such as the Mother and Infant Shelter in Makhinjauri, Ajara Region, and transforming two Infant Houses in Tbilisi and Makhinjauri into multi-service centers.
Iana gave birth to her baby, now 5-months-old, in prison, and will raise her daughter there until she turns 3-years-old. Then, the prison administration must place the child in an orphanage, as Iana does not have anybody to take care of her child. Iana is sentenced to seven years for burglary. Most of the women in the prison are single mothers like Iana.
There are 660 imprisoned women in Georgia, according to the Penitentiary Department, some of which have children under the age of 3 years old living with them. There are approximately 4,000 children in state run orphanages, reports the Ministry of Education.
“Our aim is to support mothers who have to raise their children in unusual circumstances. Our project aims at supporting vulnerable mothers, and of course imprisoned mothers are among those,” said Marina Menteshashvili, deputy manager, Infant House Transformation project.
The Gift Catalogue began in January this year as part of World Vision’s Infant House Transformation (IHT) project, which aims to prevent infant abandonment by providing emergency support to vulnerable single mothers and pregnant women to help them cope with the financial pressures that lead them to abandon their infants. It supports single mothers through childcare provision and employment services, increasing the effectiveness of Employment Service Centre (ESC) activities in Tbilisi and Makhinjauri.
Developed within the framework of the Child Welfare Reform launched by the government in 2004, the IHT project also promotes and facilitates deinstitutionalization and alternatives to residential care. The project is focused on establishing alternative childcare services such as the Mother and Infant Shelter in Makhinjauri, Ajara Region, and transforming two Infant Houses in Tbilisi and Makhinjauri into multi-service centers.
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