Telavi Poor Against Poverty Reduction Program

Telavi Poor Against Poverty Reduction Program

In Telavi, socially excluded people are being refused their financial welfare allowances. The majority of the population declares that despite having described their situation, many were refused inclusion in the poverty reduction program and could not find themselves on the list. Those who were lucky enough to be acknowledged as ‘poor’ and included in the program have been waiting for a long time for their allowances, without any result.

In Telavi they say that the people are being laughed at by the government. As Tamar Sukhitashvili, a Telavi dweller believes, poverty has become a privilege in Georgia. “It is very degrading, when you ask your government for help. But it is doubly degrading, that our government has turned poverty into a privilege and makes people beg to be acknowledged as poor...” declares T. Sukhitashvili.

The poverty reduction program, according to officials, was brought into effect to assist only extremely impoverished people. However, the government is now being criticized specifically by the poorest parts of society. The criteria, by which people are categorized, are completely incomprehensible for the population. As they state, the government may consider someone without an income and household staff, to be poor.

Mariam Gogiashvili, a Telavi dweller, says that she lives alone and her only income is her pension. The retired woman says that she was not included in the poverty reduction program for incomprehensible reasons. “I went to them with an application, social workers visited me as well, but I am not found on the list yet. Maybe the reason is my having a table and a bed at home. Probably, to be acknowledged as a poor person I should have not a house, nor a bed, nor a table, nor a chair…” states M. Gogiashvili.

The majority of Telavi dwellers believe that the government is implementing the program incorrectly. Naira Javakhishvilil, also a Telavi dweller, thinks that the selection of candidates was performed using “absurd criteria”.

“If you have a mentally disabled or terminally sick person at home, you are likely to be on list. I am very short of hands; I have a sick person at home, but I have no terminally ill or mentally disabled ones. I think that the majority of the population is very poor, but the government considers only those without electricity and food to be poor …” declares N. Javakhishvili.

The poor people of Telavi also protest about the ceasing of the distribution of their welfare allowance. The poor, left without allowances during the summer, are only comforted at the social aid agencies by being told that the cutting of their welfare allowance is only temporary and it will be renewed in autumn - although they are not told why.

Otar Sesikashvili, head of the social aid agency, declared that the welfare allowance has been temporarily ceased and will be renewed in autumn. Again, nobody speaks about reasons for this at the agency.

“Allowances are not being distributed at the moment, but all this is temporary. It will be renewed in autumn, meanwhile extremely impoverished families will receive aid via medical policies, which are no less important in my mind…” stated O. Sesikashvili.

Before the autumn, extremely impoverished people are advised to make new applications that will give them the chance to get welfare allowances, Sesikashvili states.

Despite the many barriers, impoverished Telavi dwellers continue to apply to the social aid agencies, though they say the hope of getting any allowance is very slim.

Veriko Kobiashvili, Telavi