Grandparents determined to cope for future of grandchildren
The family left the village of Kekhvi, near to the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, when the conflict broke out.
Now they share a 10 square metre room and sadly, Valeri is tempted to believe it would have been better if he had died in his village.
“We left two store houses, cattle and everything there and now we have to live in this small dark room”, adds his wife Lia.
Shocked by what they had witnessed in their beloved village, this family and many others struggled to cope with their new living conditions upon arrival at the centre.
“People had to lie on the floor, they did not have anything to cover themselves. Most of them could not take anything from home”, shares Valeri.
“We were shocked when we entered this place but did not have much choice. At first we thought we would stay here for several days but now we see the situation is worsening and nobody can tell us when will we go back”, he laments.
Valeri and his family have one thread of hope - “My house is not destroyed yet”, he says confidently, as if to convince himself. Yet he knows the situation may change at any moment.
“I miss my house and my friends there, I don’t know where they are now”, says his 7-year-old granddaughter Natia.
“My husband and I have to take care of our grand children- we have so many responsibilities and are totally helpless. I am grateful for everything humanitarian organisations do for us but without going back to our house I am dead”, despairs Lia.
“How can I raise two ‘orphans’ - my son died just four months ago and now we have to take care of his family. My family had suffered so much before this conflict and now we are totally destroyed”, she adds.
The family lost their 30-year-old son in a car accident and the tragedy almost destroyed them. Now they worry that his grave is left in their village.
“I have the impression that I’ve left him there alone”, cries his mother. But Lia knows that she has to take care of her 30-year-old daughter-in-law and grand children.
“Thinking of their future makes me stronger. I would not struggle for my life, I would stay there near my son’s grave but I don’t want my grandchildren to suffer and I have to do everything for them,” adds grandfather Valeri.
World Vision staff responded immediately to the influx of displaced persons to the capital, Tbilisi. The organisation provided the centre where the family is living with food items, such as cereals and milk products.
“You could see children helping parents to carry food into their rooms- almost all of them are already like grown-ups”, comments one World Vision staff member.
“The situation with numbers of IDPs is very fluid- people keep flowing to Tbilisi. The Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation is coordinating with all organisations to make sure that we don’t overlap”, says Ana Povrzenic, World Vision Programme Manager.
“World Vision is distributing food and non-food items at present; the biggest challenge is lack of funds and lack of supplies in the country. We already received financial support from some of our Support Offices and we also have sent proposals to different donors. Funding is now needed to respond to the most acute needs of the displaced,” she adds.
Nearly 100,000 people like Valeri and his family have been driven from their homes by the conflict in Georgia according to the United Nations refugee agency. More then 210 public buildings are providing temporary shelter for the displaced.
World Vision Georgia is responding to the urgent needs of IDPs by distributing food in cooperation with the World Food Programme. It is also distributing non-food-items such as hygiene kits, as well as providing medical supplies to Tbilisi’s main ‘Republican’ hospital. At present 174 Centres with more than 11,000 IDPs are allocated to World Vision for food distribution.
As of August 15, World Vision has helped more than 5,000 IDPs in 22 centres. World Vision is currently working in partnership with the UN and other agencies carrying out needs assessments in all the centres in Tbilisi, with a special focus on the needs of children.
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Now they share a 10 square metre room and sadly, Valeri is tempted to believe it would have been better if he had died in his village.
“We left two store houses, cattle and everything there and now we have to live in this small dark room”, adds his wife Lia.
Shocked by what they had witnessed in their beloved village, this family and many others struggled to cope with their new living conditions upon arrival at the centre.
“People had to lie on the floor, they did not have anything to cover themselves. Most of them could not take anything from home”, shares Valeri.
“We were shocked when we entered this place but did not have much choice. At first we thought we would stay here for several days but now we see the situation is worsening and nobody can tell us when will we go back”, he laments.
Valeri and his family have one thread of hope - “My house is not destroyed yet”, he says confidently, as if to convince himself. Yet he knows the situation may change at any moment.
“I miss my house and my friends there, I don’t know where they are now”, says his 7-year-old granddaughter Natia.
“My husband and I have to take care of our grand children- we have so many responsibilities and are totally helpless. I am grateful for everything humanitarian organisations do for us but without going back to our house I am dead”, despairs Lia.
“How can I raise two ‘orphans’ - my son died just four months ago and now we have to take care of his family. My family had suffered so much before this conflict and now we are totally destroyed”, she adds.
The family lost their 30-year-old son in a car accident and the tragedy almost destroyed them. Now they worry that his grave is left in their village.
“I have the impression that I’ve left him there alone”, cries his mother. But Lia knows that she has to take care of her 30-year-old daughter-in-law and grand children.
“Thinking of their future makes me stronger. I would not struggle for my life, I would stay there near my son’s grave but I don’t want my grandchildren to suffer and I have to do everything for them,” adds grandfather Valeri.
World Vision staff responded immediately to the influx of displaced persons to the capital, Tbilisi. The organisation provided the centre where the family is living with food items, such as cereals and milk products.
“You could see children helping parents to carry food into their rooms- almost all of them are already like grown-ups”, comments one World Vision staff member.
“The situation with numbers of IDPs is very fluid- people keep flowing to Tbilisi. The Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation is coordinating with all organisations to make sure that we don’t overlap”, says Ana Povrzenic, World Vision Programme Manager.
“World Vision is distributing food and non-food items at present; the biggest challenge is lack of funds and lack of supplies in the country. We already received financial support from some of our Support Offices and we also have sent proposals to different donors. Funding is now needed to respond to the most acute needs of the displaced,” she adds.
Nearly 100,000 people like Valeri and his family have been driven from their homes by the conflict in Georgia according to the United Nations refugee agency. More then 210 public buildings are providing temporary shelter for the displaced.
World Vision Georgia is responding to the urgent needs of IDPs by distributing food in cooperation with the World Food Programme. It is also distributing non-food-items such as hygiene kits, as well as providing medical supplies to Tbilisi’s main ‘Republican’ hospital. At present 174 Centres with more than 11,000 IDPs are allocated to World Vision for food distribution.
As of August 15, World Vision has helped more than 5,000 IDPs in 22 centres. World Vision is currently working in partnership with the UN and other agencies carrying out needs assessments in all the centres in Tbilisi, with a special focus on the needs of children.
-Ends-
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