ADRA Georgia has started a project “ Increased access to services for children with disabilities and adolescents with extreme behavior disorders in Georgia” with the financial help from Polish Aid and coordination support from ADRA Poland. The project’s 1st module starts in September and ends on 31th December. During this time ADRA Georgia will cooperate with local NGO partners – Society Biliki and Divine Child Foundation of Georgia. The project aims to renovate Early Child Intervention Center in Khashuri and Rehabilitation for Adolescents with extreme behavior disorders Centre in Tbilisi.

It should be noted that according to the government’s decree, a program for adults with difficult behavior has been added, thus such a center does not yet exist in Georgia and it will be the first.

Society “Biliki” is a non-for-profit organization founded in 1997 in Tbilisi in the midst of economic and political crisis in the country to support children from the most vulnerable and destitute backgrounds, including refugees and homeless kids. The organization’s operational area covers the Shida Kartli region (Gori, Khashuri). The founder and current president of the organization is Marina Mghebrishvili.

Society Biliki, a well-established partner of the Social Service Agency (SSA) under the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia successfully runs multiple State financed programs for children and mothers in Gori and Khashuri.

At present, Society Biliki runs two Small Family Homes, and one Safe Home for mother and children in Khashuri. In Gori, Society Biliki also successfully manages a Centre for Early Child Intervention and Rehabilitation/Habilitation, established with funding from Polish Aid in 2019 and 2021.

Khashuri is a town in the central part of Georgia and is the 9th largest settlement in Georgia with a population of fifty-two thousand (52,000) inhabitants. Khashuri municipality has no Centre for children with disabilities (aged 0 to 7), while there is need for such services. The State, however, currently supports children with disabilities by providing monthly vouchers.

The goal of the Early Childhood Development Project is to: Intervent a child with a developmental disability or developmental disability at the age of 0-7 with a routine approach to the child in a natural environment – home, garden, center or any other environment.

The task of the Early Childhood Development Project is to: Stimulate the development of children with disabilities, developmental disabilities or those at risk through the provision of early intervention services, to promote pre-school or general education inclusion and social integration, and to strengthen children and families.

Considering the time constrain, ADRA Georgia will do the renovation and restructuring the space for ‘Early Child Intervention’ in 2022 (September to December).

Divine Child Foundation of Georgia’ has been working for the support, special care and protection of children living in Georgia since 2011. Promoting development of children and their integration into the community. Since 2011, the organization has been implementing projects within the Ministry of Refugees, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of the Occupied Territories of Georgia within the framework of the State Program for Social Rehabilitation and Child Care. In particular, it administers 3 small family type houses. The Social Service Agency of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia; plans to initiative a new program for which DCFG was selected to establish a small-family-type-home rehabilitation for children with extreme behavior disorders and anti-social, delinquent behaviors.  The beneficiaries of the project under the sub-program will be of 12 to 18 age group, provided with 24/7 care and social pedagogy supporTo initiate the program, first of its kind in the country, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia requested ADRA Georgia, to assist in renovating one small family house type rehabilitation Centre in Tbilisi.

Juveniles with complex behaviors who are in state care need special support in order to socialize and develop in different directions. Accordingly, the main priority this year was the introduction/ development of services for juveniles with antisocial and difficult behavior.

In the above agreement, ADRA Georgia will guarantee itself the right to monitor the implementation of the above obligations also after the completion of the project.

Project co-financed by the Polish development cooperation programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

The publication expresses exclusively the views of the author and cannot be identified with the official stance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.