Child sponsorship update letter from Kutaisi
26/09/2008
Update for child and village sponsors from Summer 2008
A whole year has passed and it is a great pleasure to greet you again as a valuable and important member of our world-wide family whose kind support helps us to make our goals come true. We are very happy to share with you the recent developments that took place in SOS Children’s Village Kutaisi.
For the present moment SOS Children’s Village Kutaisi has been a home for 73 children. During the year 4 children have left from the village and 1 has been admitted. 68 of them are school pupils and 5 children go to kindergarten. 8 youngsters have been living in the Youth Facility since September 2007 where they continue studying in the secondary school and are preparing for independence. We admitted one new child to our village during the year. She was warmly welcomed with a small ceremony that made her feel at home.
Your important commitment makes it possible that our SOS children can continue living within a loving family, feel safe and cared for, look ahead with hope and trust for a better and independent life in the future. This way you are not only giving a substantial support to the personal plans and development of these children but at the same time you are helping to build a healthier and more balanced society in which the coming generations can also enjoy living. We feel very honoured and grateful to have you as part of our big SOS family!
A new home for children
The social and economic conditions existing in Georgia make people apply for admission of their children to SOS Children’s Village, because they aren’t able to satisfy the needs of the family and they believe that their children will have all necessary conditions of living and education, better perspectives for the future in SOS Children’s Village. The children are getting used to the new living environment, the new SOS family and feel happy here.
The main goal of SOS Children’s Village is to help every single child according to their individual needs, personal skills and capacities. One of the important pedagogical tools for the implementation of the goal is child’s individual development planning which has been implemented in the Children’s Village for five years already. The children were provided with the assistance which they needed according to individual development plans. Evaluation of the implementation of the plans constantly takes place which makes the achieved success more visible. Children were also actively involved in the process. Evaluation of the quality of the development planning took place. Evaluation of the efficiency of the conducted activities and set objectives makes it possible to identify the skills and potentials as well as weaknesses of the children and it enables the staff of the Children’s Village to conduct target-oriented educational work.
Raising levels of education for children
Much attention was paid to the children’s educational level being of great significance for their forming as independent personalities. Regular meetings between the school principal and educators of the Children’s Village were taking place. Additional individual and group lessons for children with poor academic progress were arranged in the Village. Intensive work was conducted with the children in the English and Russian language courses during the year. The children also attended drawing classes, as well as dancing and music classes.
Also a pilot project Quality Development in Public Schools was launched in N21 Kutaisi Public School. The project aims at improving the school education level of children by strengthening the logistical base of the school, capacity building of teachers and organising clubs and various circles within the public school. The core goals of the project is the improvement of teaching and learning quality and professional development of teachers. Based on the survey and training results, the leaders of additional circles and clubs were selected; clubs as well as subject circles in all the subjects taught at school were established in the school.
Becoming independent
Moving to the youth facility
The year 2007 was important for SOS Children’s Village Kutaisi for the reason that the first 8 youngsters left the SOS Children’s Village for the Youth Facility in September. This event meant the beginning of a new, important stage in the youngsters’ life; they made a first step on the way of preparing to independent living. Here their active integration in the social environment will take place. A certain work was carried out with youngsters in the SOS Children’s Village in order to facilitate their adoption to new living conditions.
They underwent training on the following topics: making of a budget, spending, the distribution of pocket money, cooking, etc. The youths also visited youngsters living in the Youth Facility in Tbilisi, in order to be acquainted with the youngsters’ life there. After a warm and comfortable atmosphere of the SOS Children’s Village the children have better understood the real situation existing in the town. The Youth Facility educators were working with the youngsters in the Children’s Village and had regular meetings with the Village director, educators and SOS mothers. The youngsters and the educators had also a good chance to meet each other well in advance. The educators worked with the youngsters, in a familiar environment. Thus the acquaintance of the youngsters and the educators took place under very comfortable and natural conditions, without any inward shakings. As a result, the youngsters willingly moved to the Youth Facility and adapted to the new surroundings without any problems. They were no longer afraid of transferring to a new environment. One youngster said: “I am going from a family to a family”.
A seeing-off ceremony was arranged in the SOS Children’s Village, which turned out to be very emotional. The ceremony was attended by the Board members and the relatives of the youngsters. The Mothers, co-workers and guests could not hide tears when each youngster expressed his/her thanks and gratitude to the people who had cared for and assisted him/her for such a long time.
The SOS Youth Facility inmates are provided with all necessary living and training conditions. The Facility leader and educators are in charge of their education and professional training for giving the children a chance to grow into educated and worthy members of society.
Projects in Kutaisi
Strengthening the Families
In 2007, Family Strengthening Project was continued in Kutaisi. The aim of this program is to provide support to the families and prevent child abandonment. “Thank you for the opportunity that you gave me to live with my children” said one of the biological mothers participating in this program.
Kutaisi Municipal Nursery School
SOS children go to the municipal nursery school near the SOS Children’s Village. SOS has been providing support to the municipal nursery school, as it was - as other state budget nursery schools - in a deplorable state. In most of the state nursery schools in winter times, actually there is no heating system in the rooms; there are not enough toys for children and food is deficient; parents have no desire to send their children to such nursery schools, but private ones are unaffordable for the vast majority of the society.
Five children from SOS Children’s Village Kutaisi go to the municipal nursery school. The Children’s Village renders assistance to the nursery school through the food products for 150 pupils and in winter times through the heating system. Furthermore, since the year 2003, a new educational program STEP BY STEP has been implemented in the nursery school with the assistance of SOS Children’s Village. The program helps harmonious and comprehensive development of children, development of individual requirements, creativeness and imagination skills.
As a result the children’s readiness to school assessment system is also in place. Parents of the pupils are satisfied and are thankful to SOS Children’s Village for the care and assistance rendered for the welfare of their children.
Yearly activities for children in Kutaisi
Activities and celebrations
A lot of activities and events were organised within the village like during the previous years, such as events for New Year, Christmas, Easter, etc.
On March 3 - the Mothers’ Day - a very special celebration is organized in the village for SOS mothers each year. The Director, President of the National Association, as well as some biological relatives of SOS children congratulated SOS mothers on Mothers’ Day. The children gave a concert and the day was quite exciting and full of emotions for SOS mothers.
On the 1st of June, International Children’s Day, SOS children were visited by the representatives of “MOBITEC”, the daughter enterprise of “Wimpelcom”. The children played football match with the children of the neighbourhood.
SOS Children’s Village organised an event on October 9 to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the establishment of SOS Children’s Village Kutaisi, when the first child was admitted to the SOS family. The representatives of the educational institutions which are attended by SOS children as well as of different organisations of Kutaisi were invited to take part in the celebration. The guests were briefed on the construction of SOS Children’s Village and the life in it for the next 5 years.
By the end we would like to send a special greeting for the New Year with our friendliest wish that it may prove for you a happy and rewarding one and wish you the best of everything life has to offer. We would like once more to express our gratitude and thanks to your help and support. Our children appreciate the assistant that you are kindly providing for their well being.
God Bless You Forever!
Yours Sincerely,
Levan Baliashvili
Village Director
Relevant Countries: Georgia.