Increased pension can not ease the life of socially excluded people. Most of them are still having their meal in free canteens. But because of small budget places are limited in them too.
Socially excluded people visit free canteen located in Akhaltsikhe every day for several years. It is difficult for old people to walk on frozen roads, so they go out earlier and stand in the queue to get their meal. Shivering with cold they visited the canteen even in New Year's days, though the canteen was closed until January 6.
Tsitso Murvanidze worked as a teacher at the Akhaltsikhe Musical School for years. She was fired last year. Tsitso Murvanidze has a heart disease, she is not married and her only income is 55 lari, a pension for disablement. Former teacher goes to the canteen for the first time today. Her only daughter who is in the ninth form is also waiting for meal.
"I have been working since 1984. Now my only hope is pension. If we did not have canteen, I do not know what would happen with us," says Tsitso Murvanidze.
73-year-old Asia Injoiani lives in Rustaveli Avenue. Increased pension is not enough for her to buy products. Thus despite cold and frozen roads, she comes to the canteen to take some meal:" I have to walk a long way to come here, I am so afraid of falling down. I was so glad to learn that my pension had increased but 55 lari is not enough for anything because prices on products have also risen."
78-year-old Karlo Kapianidze also visits the canteen. He rents a flat. "Free food is a great relief", said the old man.
170 people have their meal in this canteen. They are served by seven workers. Meal is taken home for the old peoples who cannot walk.
"Our beneficiaries are those people who really are very poor", said Marina Mekoshvili, a worker of the canteen.
She considers that socially excluded people have good food so they must not complain: "The meal is served once a day but we cook three courses. We also have food with meat twice a week. We never leave old people without presents for the New Year, but we could not do the same this year. I think products will be handed for the New Year according to Orthodox calendar."
Canteen's "Guests" really wait for the New Year presents. But according to Shalva Dalalishvili, the deputy head of municipality, it will not happen. "The budget does not give us possibility to make presents for socially excluded people".
There is not a central heating in the canteen and the old people take turns to warm their frozen hands at electric heater. They prefer to take their meal home instead eating it in the canteen.
Deputy Head of the Municipality promised people that the problem of the central heating will be solved very soon.
50-60 thousand lari is apportioned from local budget for the free canteen annually. 60 tetri is determined for the food of each people in a day.
'One lari is apportioned for every citizen a day. But it also contains wages of employees. World Food Program aids us with flour, oil and haricot; it is a kind of relief for us", says Tsiala Shavadze the director of the canteen.
According to her the number of people who wants to have their meal in the canteen is large. But they can be accepted at the canteen after their family situation is examined:" We were not interested in family situations but we started to do it on 1 January 2007. Since that time we receive only those people who really need our assistance.
Despite the fact that pension was increased, many people want to have their meal at the canteen but the places are limited there.
'The budget does not give us opportunity to increase the number of our beneficiaries", said Shalva Dalalishvili.
The only hope for old people is free canteens before effective programs are implemented to overcome the poverty or pension will be enough to buy food products.
Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe
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