August-December 2008

The GENESIS’ team started covering identified medical and non-medical emergency needs of IDP shelters from the 15th of August by funds initially borrowed from its ongoing Primary Healthcare Project. Later on, GENESIS was supported by Oxfam-Novib, Lions Clubs Basel and Diakonisches Werk/ACT International.

The major types of the Humanitarian Aid delivered by The GENESIS Association to the IDPs have been as follows:

Medical Support to the IDPs:

• On-site Medical Consultations and setting up temporary Medical Check-up Rooms at the Shelters (FDs and Surgeons),
• Medical Aid within the GENESIS Clinic in Tbilisi (including Family Doctors’ consultations, Surgical, Gynecological and different diagnostic services - total 48 seriously ill patients were identified during the Genesis’ on-site screening check-ups . The IDP patients have been visiting the Genesis clinic on average for two weeks);
• Supply of the shelters with basic medicines, medical consumable, and basic medical diagnostic units (Thermometer, blood pressure Manometer);
• Individual support of chronically ill IDPs with special medicines and with medical facilities (glasses, walking sticks);
• Special Aid to breast-feeding mothers and pregnant women (lactation stimulating feeding; medical education on lactation maintenance; provision of primary health education on Child-care, Baby Nutrition and Immunisation; general medical consultations for pregnant women and organisation of their referrals to specialised free of charge departments/hospitals; supply with hygienic items, etc.);
• Organisation of referrals of patients with specific health problems to consultant doctors/specialised departments or other partner organisations (IDPs with limited capabilities – to Geneva Innitiative in Psychiatry; Patients with Epilepsy were referred to Epilepsy Center and World Vision; Information on the victims of abuse and torture was sent to Human Rights Watch; patients with psychological and mental disorder – to NGO “Ndoba” and “The Association for Mental Health”.

Non-medical Aid:

• Hygienic Items (tooth pastes, brushes, soap, shampoos, washing powders, disinfectant liquids, etc.)
• Supply of bedding (mattresses and covers), linen, towels;
• Kitchen electric utilities and items (gas and electric cookers, pens, pots, dishes, glasses, forks and knives, etc.);
• Domestic electric items (irons, water heaters, electric bulbs, wiring material);
• Domestic cleaning and washing items (brushes, buckets, sponges, pegs, etc.);
• Water cisterns (10 liter) with attached taps were installed in 251 rooms of refugee families;
• Clothes and footwear for adults and children;
• Underwear for adults and children;
• Warm clothes for adults and children;
• Emergency Food supply in those cases, when continuity of regular food supply organised by the State or various International organisations happened to failed (see above).

Total number of shelters supported by GENESIS were 46, out of which 31 centres have been supported with a wide-ranging Humanitarian Aid. 15 centres have been helped with more individual support (up to 262 refugees). Total number of refugees placed in the centres supported by GENESIS were 8,876 (among them six pregnant and 34 breast-feeding women, and 131 infants).

Local Partners/Supporters of GENESIS:

Throughout implementation of its’ Emergency Aid activities during and after the War, GENESIS has actively collaborated with a number of local and international NGOs working in Georgia. These organisations were as follows: Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), Tanadgoma, GIP, Ndoba, The Association for Mental Health, Caritas Georgia, Oxfam the UK, World Vision, Human Rights Watch, as well as with the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry for the Refugees and with Charity Department of the Orthodox Church of Georgia. Genesis was also presented at a number of the Humanitarian Aid coordination meetings hosted by Oxfam, GB and the UN offices.

During the implementation of ACT/DEA’s project there have been two main groups of local partners: Charity Department of the Orthodox Church of Georgia and the Governmental institutions, including: the Administration of the regional Government of Gori; The Representative of the Minister of Health, Labor and Social Issues in Inner Khartli region and the Regional Education Resource Centre.

Georgian Church has been the most effective and, sometimes, the only National institution, which could enter and support Georgian villages cut from the rest of the country during the active armed conflict. The Patriarch’s Charity office helped GENESIS in identifying the most needed villages for the Humanitarian assistance.