Residents of Dvani Village Cannot Take Loans

Residents of the village of Dvani in Prone Gorge close to conflict zone cannot take micro-financial loans.

The project “Micro-funding for the Conflict Region” is funded by EU and is implemented by the UNDP. The project aims to make micro-finances available for small entrepreneurs, women and IDPs living in three regions of Georgia. The project also aims to provide business-trainings and consultations in order to enable them to manage their businesses more effectively, to take loans and to start new activities.

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Shida Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti regions are those three regions which were selected as target area by the UNDP and EU. The results of the war in August 2008 impacted those regions mostly and the number of IDPs increased mostly.

5 banks are involved in the project; they are Bank Konstanta, Finka, etc. Residents of Dvani village state the project is not working for them. One of them visited every bank and requested loan of 500 GEL but he was clarified that loans are not given to the residents of Dvani village because they cannot run a risk in uncontrolled territory. The villager intended to invest the 500 GEL in growing tomatoes in his garden but in vain.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori