Children Awaiting Assistance

About 400 Children in Ozurgeti Live in Extreme Impoverishment

Shorena Ghlonti, Ozurgeti

Three-year-old Kakha lives in the large family; he has two sisters and one younger brother Data. The little boys have health problems; they are disabled.

The property of the Pkhakadzes is black and white TV-set and electro-oven. The shelter of Khatuna Pkhakadze is the only one room with damaged floor, two beds and several old plates.

Khatuna has been renting the room together with her seven-member-family for 17 years already and still waits for the aid from the government.

According to the data of the Union of Young Teachers, about 400 children live in extreme poverty in Ozurgeti district. The reason of their problems is employment of their parents. Representative of the Union Nana Mzhavia said the high level of unemployment has resulted into the problem.

“It is natural that unemployed parents cannot resolve problem of nutrition and material welfare. These problems result into other health and mental problems. It must be pointed out that because of poverty many clever children cannot realize their skills,” said Mzhavia.

According to the UNICEF 28 % of children in Georgia live beyond poverty level. But 12 % of them live in extreme poverty. Kakha, Data and their sisters go into those 12 %.

The monthly income for the Pkhakadzes is 299 GEL. 34-year-old mother said her children need medicines every day. In addition to that, she pays rent and electricity bill. The young mother visits various institutions every day and urges them for help in order to buy medicines for her sons.

“I do not buy enough food in order to take children to doctor in Kutaisi once in two months. However, I cannot afford it now because I have to pay 750 GEL to doctor. Our daily food is fried potato, soup without meat and bread. I cannot buy meat even once a month though it is necessary for children,” said Khatuna Pkhakadze.

“In two months the allowance for large families will be dropped for us. At the moment we receive allowance for socially excluded people. In December of 2007, I finally managed to be listed among socially excluded people and on December 20, 2007 allowance was assigned to us; however, next day on December 21 it was ceased again because our son Kakha was born. That day was too difficult for me; doctors made similar diagnose for Kakha as for Data; he had cerebral palsy and pseudo-cyst in his head.

“I was disparate and applied to various agencies for help. The representatives of the Agency for Social Subsidies told me I did not have right to apply for the allowance within one year. However, I needed the allowance urgently and petitioned personally to the Minister of Healthcare. Consequently, I had my allowance restored but it turned out to be temporary procedure,” said Khatuna Pkhakadze.

“Social agent from the Ozurgeti district office of the Agency for Social Subsidies examined the family of Khatuna Pkhakadze. Because of the discovered circumstances in the family (change in the number of family members) social agent filled in the protocol on ceasing the allowance for them. After the declaration was studied, the family was granted with the rating point of 86 120 that was too much to appoint the allowance. After that, the agent visited the family again and consequently, the allowance was granted to the family since January of 2009,” it was reply of the Ministry of Healthcare to the family.

The allowance was ceased one month ago again. The reason was changed address. The family could not pay the rent and moved to another place; consequently the allowance was ceased.

“I took a loan for Data’s treatment from the bank. Doctors from Iashvili Hospital promised me my son could walk at the age of 8 if he is treated permanently,” said the mother; the family has not paid the bank debt either.

The World Bank concluded that rapid privatization process in the healthcare sector and poorly organized forms of risk allotting might make the cash-payment more frequent and families will have to pay large sums on medical assistance. The government shall ensure the accessibility for children’s healthcare through purchasing the insurance for them as it happened for extremely impoverished families.

Khatuna Pkhakadze applied to the Ozurgeti district administration early in 2009. She requested allowance for the disabled people and impoverished families. Since she was not assisted, Khatuna Pkhakadze met Guria Regional Governor who replied to her. “Initially we have to take care of IDPs and then we will pay attention to you.”

Pkhakadze petitioned to the president’s administration too.

Ozuergeti district administration was ordered by the president’s administration to study the situation of the family and inform the applicant and the administration about the results.

Pkhakadzes received the following letter from the district administration: “In reply to you appeal where you request shelter and allowance for disabled children, we would like to inform you that last year you were aided with 100 GEL and on June 15, 2009 you were aided with 250 GEL to assist your children. You receive monthly allowance of 100 GEL from the program for large families of the Ozurgeti district administration... as for accommodation problems, the social commission examined your family and you will be informed about the results after the commission ends working,” wrote deputy district governor Lavrenti Kviloria in the reply.

Kviloria wrote that commission members will discuss the issue of the family and estimate whether the family complies with the criteria and based on their decision the family will get allowance.

Expert Levan Chkhaidze negatively evaluates the current criteria and considers that they shall be worked out. He thinks besides the criteria there is problem of transparency too.

Chkhaidze said the family of Pkhkadzes did not have information that program for socially disabled people has been running in Ozurgeti district for many years. If she had had the information before, the family could have received the flat years ago.

The young mother is mostly afraid of the upcoming winter.