At the beginning of the summer, the annual project of the Slovak Catholic Charity (SKCH) in Georgia was monitored, which was financially implemented from the SlovakAid grant scheme. SKCH project coordinator Júlia Aguado (JA) and SKCH general secretary Radovan Gumulák (RG) will clarify how 22 families of resettlers from Abkhazia living in the Georgian city of Khobi were helped. How and why does a person become a resettled person? JA: A displaced person is a person who, for various reasons (due to armed conflict, natural disaster, bad economic situation, etc.) is forced to leave his natural environment, his native country. It is about the so-called forced migration. A frequently used term for such a person is also the term "refugee".
Why did entire families have to move from Abkhazia to Georgia? JA: IDPs from Abkhazia are the result of the Georgian-Abkhazian armed conflict between 1991 and 1993, which ended with the defeat of the Georgian troops, the declaration of the independent Republic of Abkhazia and the subsequent forced removal or forced flight of residents of Georgian nationality from this de facto independent republic. Many of these people had to escape literally from day to day unless they wanted to face the threat of death by firing squad.
what specifically was the focus of the SKCH project to help resettlers in Georgia? RG: The project had two basic goals: to ensure the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable resettled families, their integration into the local society; and develop a strategy for the allocation of aid for resettled people in the regions of Georgia and subsequently an action plan for the implementation of priority aid for resettled people. It was important to create a methodology and specific recommendations for regional institutions in Georgia, working with refugees, as well as for other potential aid providers. The documents are currently being used by the Ministry of IDPs, Refugees and Housing in Georgia and the Regional Center for IDPs in the Zugdidia region, which includes our target community - located in the city of Khobi (in the Thorsa district).
How many people participated in it in SR and directly in the field for SKCH? RG: The leading organization in the project was the Slovak Catholic Charity (SKCH). She implemented the project in cooperation with a local partner - the Ministry for Resettled Persons, Refugees and Housing in Georgia (MPUB). An expert team - consisting of four Slovak and four Georgian experts - participated in the implementation of the project. The project team, ensuring the overall management of the project, was composed of one project manager and one project coordinator - for both the Slovak and Georgian sides.
In which areas was aid implemented in 2011 (housing, employment, education, health care, etc.)? JA: One of the priorities was the improvement of the existing living conditions of the resettled people and the completion of the infrastructure. Despite the fact that the Georgian government provided temporary housing for the displaced in this remote part of western Georgia, the community found themselves in houses without electricity, heating or drinking water. Through the project, we managed to build a water supply system for drinking water for the center of Thorsa. We built 12 chimneys on apartment buildings, the quick completion of which ensured that families (and especially children) did not suffer from the cold during the winter months. Pathways were built in the surroundings (previously a muddy area), as well as a fence with two metal, lockable gates - to increase security in this residential area, as well as to protect agricultural machinery and farmed animals.
What about employment and livelihoods in this area? JA: In the project, we also set out to improve the ability of resettled people to secure their livelihood through agricultural production. Since not only the resettled people, but also the local residents have limited job opportunities in the given location. Unemployment is very high here, creating alternative sources of income is absolutely necessary. The community received a lease of 5 hectares of arable land from the government, but did not have the means or experience necessary to cultivate it. As part of the project, we therefore provided them with the necessary technical equipment (tractor, work tools), as well as various types of seed and fertilizer. It was equally important to train the resettlers in the procedures of good agricultural practice and to teach them - how to place their farm products on the local market. The project's activities, aimed at developing agricultural and marketing skills of the resettled people, fulfilled the purpose. The resettled families learned to cultivate arable land, sow corn, soybeans, and plant beans and onions. They were able to ensure self-sufficiency from the autumn harvest and even sold some products.
SKCH ensured the delivery of machining equipment. How did work productivity increase and how did gifted people in the community respond? RG: The resettled community was actively involved in the project from the beginning. Its leaders were invited to comment on individual solutions and activities. Their reactions, observations, or expressions of satisfaction or dissatisfaction were taken into account. It is they who should benefit from the results of the project and continue to responsibly take care of what they have acquired. The situation after the implementation of the project is incomparable to that of two years ago. The entire community was actively involved in agricultural activities, selected people from the community were immediately trained to operate the tractor and its accessories, and now offer their services to the surrounding communities. Last year's bountiful harvest, harvested from approximately 5 hectares of land, also testifies to the increased labor productivity.
How can the sustainability of the initiated changes be ensured (even after the completion of the SKCH project)? JA: The sustainability of the project and the positive changes that have occurred in the community is directly dependent on the continued involvement of all stakeholders. The municipality of Khobi has made a written commitment to the community - to take responsibility for the maintenance of the newly constructed water supply. The great motivation and commitment of the Georgian partner (MPUB) in the issue of refugees is also important. It was the ministry that was an important intermediary in the promotion and adoption of new methods of coordination of aid in the region in the Regional Center for IDPs in the Zugdidi region.
How were planning and tools set up to sustain agricultural activities in the long term? RG: The experts of the project developed, translated into Georgian and distributed among the families a brief manual of "good agricultural practice". As part of the methodological guidelines for resettled people, they also developed a simple proposal for the operation and financing of the delivered agricultural equipment. For its operation, the so-called A maintenance and repair fund to which resettlers should contribute regularly. Selected Slovak farm families from the village of Lokca na Orave through two collections "Candy for Georgia" (involvement of children from Lokca in the activity of saving funds) and "Grain for Georgia" (contributions of adults from Lokca to activities to support the cultivation of crops in Khobi) provided seed, fertilizer and tractor fuel for the resettled families. Partnerships were formed between families from Khobi and families from Lokce during the project, which are still ongoing.
What role did the selected experts from the Slovak and Georgian sides play in the success of the project and how did the specific community of resettlers in the new environment fit into the project? JA: The project experts were the professional guarantors of the project. The project required qualified persons with experience and knowledge in the field of construction, water management works, agriculture, but also persons - experienced in the field of work with internally displaced communities in Georgia. I think we managed to build just such a team of experts, whose mutual cooperation was very important for the success of the project.
A few weeks ago, workers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic returned from the control monitoring of SKCH project activities in Georgia. What were the reactions, and which features of the project were highlighted (and why)? RG: In June 2012, a delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic made a monitoring trip to Georgia - precisely for the purpose of evaluating the results of the project. All participants expressed great satisfaction with the results of the project. The monitoring was focused on the following aspects: the degree of fulfillment of the set goals, the degree of participation of the target group in the project and its activities, as well as the degree of publicity of the project. The high level of cooperation of the project partners and the high degree of community participation in the activities were highlighted, as well as the general awareness of the surrounding public about the project and the positive response between institutions at the local and regional level. So far, very few aid providers operate in the given location, which further enhances the importance of the SKCH project in the Zugdidi region.
Is it possible that in the future Georgia will again be included in the list of priority countries within the Slovak official development aid? JA: Although Georgia was included among the priority countries of Slovakia's official development aid for the year 2012, it was only within the framework of the technical assistance program, the key areas of which were related to the transformation processes in the country and the building of civil society. However, the Ministry did not rule out the possibility of expanding the country's sectoral focus to other areas in the future. When choosing sectoral priorities, it will also take into account the comments and recommendations of non-governmental development organizations active within the Platform of Non-Governmental Development Organizations.
Fotoreporáž k projektu Text: Bozena Baluchová, photo: Júlia Aguado, SKCH