According to the IOM World Migration Report 2020,  some 272 million persons now live in a different country than the one they were born in. Nearly two thirds are labour migrants. Liana left for Greece in 2012 leaving back her family and her children. Her career  in Georgia as a nurse enabled  her to get a job fast in a new place. She was caring for elderly persons. She ended up staying in Greece for 8 years. Liana  is grateful to Greek people for opening their doors to her and giving her an opportunity to support her family and pay off debts. In 2018 Liana had to return to Georgia after her father was taken ill. She returned home with IOM’s support and restarted cattle-breeding business. She was provided with entrepreneurship skills training and cash assistance to make a decent income.  Liana is not planning to go back to Greece for work any time soon. She is happy to be back home and look after her father and grandchildren. Since 2003, 18,163 Georgian nationals have returned to Georgia with IOM’s support from 32 countries, most EU Member States and Switzerland. Among them, 5500 cases (including 7085 persons) received one or more types of post-arrival assistance. Among them 2196 cases (2420 persons) were returnees from Greece.

On 5 November 2013, Mariam Gelashvili and her family welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Nina. Unfortunately, Nina suffered from birth asphyxia, which resulted in her spending 1 month in the intensive care unit (ICU) and consequently losing function in her arms, legs, and neck region. Soon after leaving the ICU, she started to receive rehabilitation therapy for quadriplegia.  Nina, now 8 years old, has severe motor impairment, cannot speak, and struggles with holding her head up, sitting up, standing and walking independently. Despite her disability, she attends a public school in Tbilisi, Georgia, and completed first grade this summer. Mariam tells us how assistive technology (AT) and communication devices have played and continue to play an essential role in improving her daughter’s quality of life.    Assistive technology improves communication and social interactions “Nina has excellent cognitive skills,” explains Mariam. “When she turned 4, I was advised to buy an eye gaze device to help her communicate with us better. An eye gaze device allows a person to control a tablet or computer using their eyes. She mainly uses this device at home, just like one would use communication cards. I have created cards for her to express when she is hungry, wants to go outside, or watch TV. When she selects a card, she is asked a follow-up question. For example, when she indicates that she wants to watch TV, she is shown a list of shows to choose from.” Although the device helps Nina communicate her needs, her poor vision does not permit her to spend more than 1 hour a day on the tablet. In addition, as she grows, so do her needs. She now relies on 2 different speech-generating devices to communicate with her peers at school. These devices allow her to share several pre-recorded messages by just tapping on a large, coloured button. Mariam has programmed several greetings, questions, and answers within the device to facilitate her social interactions. “Every morning, I prepare new recordings, which also include information about her previous day, so that when she is asked about it, she can respond easily,” says Mariam.  The speech devices have also helped Nina interact with her classmates directly. “Sometimes Nina gets bored in the classroom and starts feeling restless,” she adds. “I have programmed a command for her to indicate when she wants to go out. When her classmates hear her press this command, those sitting next to her usually turn to her and explain that they also want to go out but need to be patient.” At school, Nina is supported by her homeroom teacher, a special needs teacher, and a personal assistant who spends the entire day with her. Her elementary school is taking additional steps to ensure she is included in all school activities and does not feel left out. For example, with the help of her devices, she assists her teachers in asking questions to her peers. During music or sports classes, where her participation is somewhat limited, she has been assigned the task of using her controls to indicate the start of the activity. Nina also enjoys listening to her classmates, so her teachers involve her in class discussions regularly by asking her for feedback on her classmates' responses.   Consort World changing lives in Georgia  Limited access to AT remains a challenge in Georgia, as does the lack of trained therapists with knowledge in this particular field. Consort World has been a renowned and trusted name in AT and eye tracking since 2006 in the Middle East and North Africa. With financial support from Consort World's Managing Director, Camille Matta, Mariam founded Consort Georgia to support Georgian children with special needs. Recently, the nongovernmental organization joined forces with one of the biggest local rehabilitation centres, the Ken Walker University Clinic for Medical Rehabilitation, to provide children with AT-aided therapy and training for health workers. The Ken Walker Clinic now hosts Consort Georgia, and together they are increasing awareness of and access to AT across the country. Thanking WHO/Europe for its continued support to the country, Mariam says, “It means a lot, especially for families with disabled children. So many countries, like ours, face continued challenges in providing inclusive high-quality health care. Without WHO Georgia’s support, the situation would be worse.”  WHO/Europe is working with the Government of Georgia to strengthen access to rehabilitation services and assistive products in the country. The programme is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  

Marina Rukhaia, 57, is an IDP from the village Dranda, Abkhazia. In 1993, after the war in Abkhazia, together with her husband and two children she fled to St. Petersburg, Russia. After 2 years, the family decided to return to Georgia for their children not to forget their language and culture. The family started a new life in the village of Etseri, Tsalenjikha Municipality where their relative offered them an old, small wooden house.  Marina started working as a teacher of physics in the local school and in parallel engaged in farming.  “It was really difficult to move for the third time, to start everything from scratch, to get used to new people and environment. I remember well, we did not even have basic household items. I remember the family had to eat by turns because we did not have enough dishes. Slowly we managed to get back on feet. When you are a woman, you have to carry a great part of the burden of a difficult village life. “ Initially Marina’s family purchased one dairy cow and started producing cheese mainly for home consumption. She soon noticed the market demand for dairy products and the family started buying more cattle. Nowadays, Marina owns ten cows. The family was gifted a bee colony from their relative, and after identifying local demands for honey they decided to start a beekeeping business as well. Currently they own 26 bee colonies. Marina applied to the government-funded programme Produce in Georgia and received a grant for planting one hectare of blueberries.  “I think women should fight their fear and stand for themselves, make the most of all opportunities. It is such a special feeling of satisfaction when you can prove to yourself and to others that you are able to make life better. If I looked at myself in 2022 from my early 30’s, before resettlement, I would not believe being so strong and able to do that much.” Marina now already has 2 grandchildren. Her daughter emigrated to Greece but she still considers the unity of her family the key to its success. “Unity in family means a lot, we all know our duties and responsibilities are divided and scheduled equally. This really leads to success. For my husband and me, there is no such household chores of man or woman, we know that mutual understanding and delegating is essential if you want to achieve something in life”. Marina took the responsibility to become Lead Farmer of a dairy Farmer Field School (FFS) implemented by FAO. She is interested in new production techniques, and in business opportunities offered to her under the project. Through participation in FFS Marina builds her production skills and acquires knowledge of best hygiene practices and innovative technologies. She receives information about the market needs, Georgian legislation for Food Safety Standards and its implication at farm production level. The knowledge and information obtained under the project helps her access the market successfully; FAO team is in the process of identifying local buyers to help her with market linkages. Marina exchanges her knowledge and experience with other women members of the FFS, as well as with the full network of 20 FFSs in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, uniting over 250 women. Through this platform, women can discuss challenges and build foundations for future collaboration. From the FAO project, she also received animal welfare and diversification equipment for her production, to replicate best practices demonstrated at the trainings. As a complement of FAO technical support, UN Women provides Marina and other women farmers with trainings in business and entrepreneurship skills. This knowledge will enable her and other women to create and upscale their own production systems. With the practice obtained from the project Marina plans to start producing aged cheese and offer an innovative local product to her region. “I would like to encourage women, especially IDPs and those living in rural areas. They should first appreciate themselves and not be ashamed of being engaged in agriculture, whether they are educated or not,” Marina says. “Fostering economic empowerment of women farmers by supporting homemade dairy production through the Farmer Field Schools (FFS) approach” is a project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nations (FAO), the UN agency for gender equality and women's empowerment UN Women, funded by The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The project started in October 2020 and will be operational until 30th September 2024.

Almost 65 percent of Georgians believe that individuals can stand against climate change; 36 percent are not convinced that personal actions matter.  Courageous and determined women activists, like Shorena Chapurishvili from the small Georgian town of Akhmeta, show by example that every person can contribute to climate-proofing our world. Photo: Anka Gujabidze/UNDP The hidden threat It is hard to picture a devastating flood along the Zemo Khodashnis Khevi’s dry riverbed. The landscape looks so peaceful and arid; there are no signs of a roaring deluge washing away bridges and houses. Yet, this small river, which does not even exist for most of the year, turns deadly every spring, flooding nearby villages and destroying livelihoods. Chapurishvili, a local climate activist, tells us that floods have become more frequent and severe over the years. “This river used to be much smaller only 10 years ago. You can see the remains of walls that would restrain it before. Now, they are almost in the centre of the riverbed.” According to Chapurishvili, pastures and farming plots are at the highest risk when the river floods; residential houses and roads in three villages are under threat too. In this area, recurrent floods affect the livelihoods of more than 2,100 people. But the damage extends beyond agricultural, infrastructure and personal loss. One of the river branches flows near the Alaverdi Cathedral, a majestic 11th-century monument that has been nominated for UNESCO’s World Heritage List. “When the main river floods, its branch overflows too. If it reaches Alaverdi, it will damage the Cathedral’s ancient walls and courtyard,” Chapurishvili says. Photo: Anka Gujabidze/UNDP Photo: Anka Gujabidze/UNDP When water turns into a flood Most of Georgia’s 26,060 rivers are mountain streams, full of life and beauty. They feed lush forests and fertile plains, support unique ecosystems and biodiversity and supply people with water, energy and a livelihood. Yet once in a while, this beauty and power turn against people. River flooding, rockslides, landslides and mudslides are the chief source of natural disasters in Georgia. Extreme flood events cost the country over US$190 million per year. Scientists estimate that climate-driven disasters could cost Georgia as much as $12 billion over the next decade, almost 80 percent of Georgia’s current annual GDP. In 2019, Georgia launched a nationwide programme to enact policies and make the investments needed to adapt to climate change and protect people and the economy from climate-driven disasters. The seven-year initiative, a joint venture between the government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), draws on $74 million provided by the Green Climate Fund and the governments of Georgia, Sweden and Switzerland. The programme is set to introduce climate adaptation solutions, including hydrometeorological observation networks, early warning systems and protective infrastructure, in the basins of 11 Georgian rivers where the disaster risk is especially high. This will provide direct protection to 1.7 million people — 46 percent of the population. The programme also improves climate change awareness and education and assists local communities to develop and introduce climate-savvy solutions to better protect themselves from floods and other extreme weather events. Villages alongside Zemo Khodashnis Khevi and many other locations across the country are at the centre of this work. Photo: Anka Gujabidze/UNDP The power of people “Reinforcing riverbanks and establishing hydrometeorological monitoring is extremely important, as is letting people know what to expect and how to act during floods. This will help reduce losses and better protect communities,” said Chapurishvili. This year, UNDP provided her with a support grant to establish a community-based rapid response squad that will serve three villages alongside Zemo Khodashnis Khevi, informing people what to do to stay safe before, during and after a flood. “We are working with local councils and schools and engaging teachers and community organizations. Women and youth can play a game-changing role. They form a public opinion, influence their families and are very effective in spreading the message,” said Chapurishvili. She has a point here; women drive most of the local climate education projects supported by UNDP and Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. Chapurishvili’s work has sparked the interest of surrounding villages. Self-governance representatives, schools and citizens are ready to join or support the emergency response squad when it becomes fully operational this spring. Her work — and the efforts of many other climate activists across Georgia — holds the promise that local solutions and initiatives will help prepare people for climate change impacts and inspire them to work together to build a stronger and more resilient society.