Money Is Paid and Children Return Home from the Orphanages

UN supports children from orphanages to return to family environment. Those families who foster children are paid minimal sums. According to present data total 218 orphan children and those lacking parental care have left the orphanage. Some of them have returned to their families, while others have been fostered by strange families. 

Journalist for the 'Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre' visited those children who have returned to families in Imereti Region and inquired their living conditions. As for the program itself, it had been initially funded by UNICEF and 'Every Child' over two years and now the program is being implemented by the Government. The project has three parts-reintegration, prevention and fostering. Reintegration deals with those children who already live in orphanages and they should return to their families. Prevention deals with the group who is at a risk of getting in an orphanage; fostering views the children who can be fostered by strange families until he/she gets 18.

Special institute of Social-workers has been established for all three categories. They select families for orphanage children and conduct regular monitoring of their situation. The proceeding is the following: a social-worker finds a family who wants to foster a child. They work both with the family and the child. In the case if they put up with each other, the child moves to the family and leaves orphanage. He/she lives there until his/her family affords to accept their own child.

There are twelve orphanages in Imereti. The main reason for leaving a child in the establishment is poverty. This program assisted 218 children to return to their families. Final goal of the program is to close down all Children-Houses and to grow up children in family environment.

Six social-workers work in Imereti Region. According to their leader, Ms. Anna Kiskeidze, they have received quite a lot of applications of those families who want to foster a child:
"Initially the families apply us, and then selection starts. There are some standards which must be met by the families who are going to foster a child. It is essential to place a child in advantageous conditions and avoid violation of their rights.  So far 15 children have been fostered, 60 facts of reintegration have occurred and prevention has happened with 143 children."

The allowances what the fostering family receives for a child, amounts to 125 GEL a month. 60 GEL is apportioned for reintegration-prevention. They are given approximately 30 USD in food. As for disabled children, their allowances amount to 220GEL a month.

Ms. Ruizan Sokhadze, living in Kutaisi, is one of those who have fostered a child. She explained us why she had decided it: "I was a teacher at the orphanage where Natia Kirtadze lived. The child was too smart. Her mother was poor and left her child there. Having been introduced to fostering program I decided to foster the child. She was very glad and I treat her like my own daughter. Now I worry about her-where she would go when she gets 18. I don't want to let her go and want to keep her close to me."
Natia has a sister-Khatia who lived in the village with her grandmother and she did not know anything about her sister. Ms. Ruizan arranged their meeting.  She has taken Khatia with them too and now they all live together. According to the program, the children have to live in this family until 18. Finally they should return to their own family. Natia and Khatia told us they do not want to live with their parents who have divorced.

"My mother left me to the orphanage. She could not keep me. I was ten then. I am glad to be here now. I could not learn at the orphanage, but now I can. It is good to live in a family. I do not want to return to my parents. I would not, even if they lived well,"-said Natia and Khatia agreed her.
 
The foster family urges the Government to give Health Polices to Natia and Khatia and grant some allowances on communal expenses to the family. Apart this they had one more problem regarding allowances granted to the children. They could not understand when they should receive it-at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a month.

Example of reintegration happened in the village of Etseri. Three children of the family returned home. They are fourteen-year-old Natia, thirteen-year-old Ia and ten-year-old Tatia Revishvilis. Poverty made the family abandon their children, who now have already returned home for three months. Natia likes family environment very much. "I was nine when they left me to the orphanage. My mother was ill and the family lived poorly.
We, three sisters were left there; my younger brother lived with family. You cannot imagine how good it is to live with the family."

Little Giga told us he wanted to live with sisters, but father did not take him to the orphanage. He parted with us with the following words: "I have a meal several times a day and I am not hungry at all." Within the program the family receives 180 GEL a month to feed their children.

Eka Gulua