CARE donates equipment to schools
By Messenger Staff
Wednesday, June 2
Schools in Gori, Khashuri, Kareli, Kaspi, Marneuli and Gardabani received the equipment, which cost almost 20,000 USD. “This was very timely assistance for our children. These items will motivate both IDPs and local students to get jointly involved in sports and cultural activities which will contribute to their integration and a brighter future,” declared Rusudan Mchedlidze, Director of Gori Public School Number 12. The ceremony took place at the school and was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation and Ministry of Education and Science and the heads of the regional educational resource centres. Representatives of the local authorities of Shida Kartli, and senior managers of local and international NGOs working on IDP issues were also present.
“The SIIMS project brings IDPs and local youth together by helping them erase the scars left by the war. One of the tools for their psycho-social rehabilitation is arranging joint sports and cultural activities,” stated Vakhtang Piranishvili, SIIMS Project Director.
The SIIMS project aims to help IDPs displaced after the August ‘08 war and affected local communities integrate into their new environment, using socio-economic opportunities aligned with local government services and structures to reduce poverty and conflict. The project is jointly implemented by CARE Norway and CARE International in the Caucasus along with partner organisations the Civil Development Agency (CiDA) in Georgia, the Consent IDP Women’s Association and the Centre for Training and Consultancy (CTC).
SIIMS is a three-year project launched in July 2009. It is financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its total budget is 19 Million NOK (2.9 Million USD).