Organizations for Children and Youth Sign Memorandum

The Natakhtari Fund and the Georgian Coalition for Children and Youth signed a memorandum on June 9. The document was signed by Nikoloz Khundzakishvili, the director of corporate affairs at Natakhtari Company, and Maya Mgeliashvili, director of the board at Children and Youth Coalition.

The cooperation aims to support youth exiting the state care system by ensuring they have the financial means to live independently. The Natakhtari Fund and the Coalition for Children and Youth will create a coalition to help local authorities assist youth outside the official care system. The advocacy campaign involves working with authorities to ensure they are meeting recommendations. A media workshop will be organized as part of the campaign, in addition to meetings and advocacy campaigns.

“Advocating for the support of vulnerable children and youth is a critical issue that needs to be addressed and that’s why we decided to join efforts,” Khundzakishvili said at the event.

Established in November 2011, the Natakhtari Fund launched the “Care the Future” charity project. With 747,857 GEL collected in five years, the fund has supported educational and employment services to 307 children and youth. The project is partnered with the NGO Our House-Georgia, and supported by the Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II. In the years 2016-2017 alone, the fund assisted 158 people (160,000 GEL).

Through the Care for the Future project, 131 beneficiaries found employment, 256 acquired professional skills, 102 were assisted with school subjects, 25 beneficiaries got their driving licenses and 89 got scholarships and help with apartment rental.

According to the statistics, five to six young people leave the state care institution system every year in each region of the country. “We hope that, together with the 42 organizations united at the Coalition for Children and Youth, and with our extensive experience and expertise in advocacy, we will have the opportunity to protect vulnerable groups from falling into criminal system, assisting them to be well equipped, and supporting them in problem-solving as they enter their adult lives,” said Mgeliashvili prior to the signing of the memorandum of cooperation. “We hope to achieve sustainable, long-term results in changing the system.”

Nino Chitanava, the coordinator of a group at the Coalition for Children and Youth, presented case studies. She identified the major challenges faced by vulnerable 18-year-olds as: the lack of proper housing; unsuitable physical environments; limited access to education; unemployment; lack of competitiveness; health issues; limited socialization; the social stigma of the care system; the non-existence of social support networks; and the lack of social skills such as self-confidence, leadership, and communication.

“The systematic approach we’re implementing and are willing to conceptualize is also applicable to children and youth with special needs,” Mgeliashvili said. “The main problem is that these youngsters don’t have a chance to acquire education and employment. At the age of 18, they are left all on their own with no means. When we started the program, back in 2011, our main objective was to help the ones who had already left the state care institutions. We’re assisting them to the point where they can take care of themselves,” said Nikoloz Khundzakishvili.

Nino Gugunishvili