Young American-Georgian Raising Funds for Kakheti Disabled Home

Giorgi Vancko has an American father and Georgian mother. He is 14 years old and has two younger brothers. He was born in Singapore and lived in Chicago (USA) and Switzerland before moving to The Netherlands, where he and his family have been living since 2013. He attends the International School of Amsterdam and his main hobbies are football (soccer), guitar and piano. He likes to travel and learn foreign languages and says he has a strong connection with Georgia from his mother’s side. Aside from visits to Georgia several times each year since he was very young, his mother always spoke Georgian to the children and they attend the Georgian church and Georgian school once a month in The Netherlands. They always spend their summers in Kakheti and usually visit in October for the harvest (rtveli). During all his visits, Giorgi had the opportunity to see many parts of his country and grew to notice that Georgia is still at a developmental stage.

“I thought I might be able to help in some small way,” he tells GEORGIA TODAY. “A friend of our family in The Netherlands was supporting a charity for children affected by war, and I wanted to do something to help the less fortunate as well.”

We will now let Giorgi tell you what happened next.

“My charity project was started in July 2017 with a visit to the House of Virtues, a home for the disabled in Mashnari, Kakheti, housing 25 mentally and physically handicapped residents. I interviewed the staff and asked them what they needed. They explained that they faced three major problems:

a. One of their two washing machines was broken

b. They didn't have running water from the taps and had to buy water, delivered by truck

c. Their roof was damaged, leading to other problems like staining of the walls, furniture and flooring.

“After assessing their needs, I returned to The Netherlands to make a plan to help the home. I gave presentations at school assemblies and immediately started raising money for the washing machine. Since the washing machine was not very expensive and fairly easy to quickly implement, I was able to convince people to support the project. The International School of Amsterdam was very supportive and even has a designated teacher to help students with community or charity initiatives. By the time I had raised enough money for the washing machine, we were already planning our next visit to Georgia in October. As soon as we arrived in Kakheti, I took the funds we had raised, purchased the washing machine, and had it delivered to the home. They were so happy to see me and glad that I had followed through on my promise to help them. It was also during that visit that I met with a drilling company to discuss the next project, which was to install running water at the home.

“I continued to develop the charity in The Netherlands from that point on. Having seen the big positive impact and appreciation for the washing machine, I wanted to help the people at the handicapped home even more. Back in The Netherlands, it became clear that in order to raise a larger amount of money, I would need to officially register my charity with the Chamber of Commerce and also get tax-exempt status so corporations could donate with a tax benefit. It took a while to learn all the requirements to become an official registered charity in The Netherlands. I prepared the documents and took everything to the solicitor, finally getting registered and opened a non-profit bank account.

“Once those formalities were completed, I made brochures, created a website, and opened a Facebook page to spread the word about my charity, called Help the Republic of Georgia. I organized fundraisers inside and outside school, including a charity concert in Amsterdam featuring Georgian musicians Datuna Mgeladze and Nino Chkheidze. I went door-to-door to ask neighbors and spent evenings at school events talking to parents to solicit for donations. A lot of friends and family members donated to the charity as well. My friends here in the Netherlands liked my idea and were willing to help me in my fundraising and supported me while I was helping the home.

“After several months of intensive fundraising, I raised enough money to start working on solving the home’s water problem. The handicapped home was using a large portion of their modest budget to purchase water delivered by truck. This is obviously very expensive. At the same time, they did not have enough money to invest in drilling a well, installing a pump and the associated piping, plus all the electrical connections. I contacted a company to start the drilling. The manager met me at the house and explained with magnetism how they find the exact spot where to drill the well. They estimated it would be more than 100 meters deep. Unfortunately, the rock there was quite hard and the drilling was not very effective. Eventually, I had to find a different company with more modern equipment to continue the drilling. When they heard about my project, they agreed to do all the work at actual cost, with no profit. With the newer drilling machine, the well was finished in about a week. They installed a pump, piping, storage tank, electrical connections, and filters. By the time I returned in February 2018, the water supply was in place. It was amazing to see the impact on the residents and staff of having a lifetime supply of clean, free water. We had a wonderful inauguration ceremony attended by the Mayor of Signagi, the Head of the City Council of Signagi, and several other important people.

“The last major project required at this handicapped home is to replace the leaking roof. The existing roof is old and worn and has been repaired many times. But two experts assessed the roof and both concluded that it is beyond repair and must be replaced. When the wet season comes, it is not a comfortable environment for the people living inside and this also leads to the damaging of walls, floors and furniture within the house. I am currently working hard to raise money but honestly speaking, even in a wealthy country like The Netherlands, it is not easy as the roof is quite expensive and I already reached out to most people I know, live close to, or who attend my school. So now I am looking for other sources of funds. So far, I have convinced one company to make a generous donation and I am applying for grants from other charities that donate to good causes.

“During my last visit to the handicapped home in October 2018, I was so impressed to see how well the residents and staff were doing. My project inspired others to help and some of the downstairs interior walls were renovated and painted, creating a much more pleasant living environment. Someone planted a beautiful flower garden along the whole front of the house. That area used to be plain and bare because there was obviously no water for any flowers or plants. Now the front of the house looks colorful, alive, and inspiring. A large grove of donated olive trees was planted behind the house, serving as further beautification and landscaping, again made possible by the water supply.

“Replacing the roof is the last of the three major projects that were needed at this home. I can already see that they are able to manage much better with the small help I was able to offer them. I do not have another specific project after the roof replacement is completed but, generally, I’m planning to continue to help other people in need.

“In the future, I’m planning on going into the business and economics direction. I would like to connect my business with Georgia and continue to help my home country. I would also like to help my home country become an even better place. “

Website: www.helptherepublicofgeorgia.org/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/helprepublicofgeorgia/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCdlzemynhY56pwNQO5PIaHw

By Giorgi Vancko