Agency increases assistance to families as they begin to rebuild their lives

Six-year-old Gocha with supplies donated by Save the Children at a shelter in Georgia. Photo Credit: Chris Stowers/PANOS

Westport, Conn. (August 28, 2008) — Save the Children is widening its efforts to assist children affected by the conflict in Georgia, providing food, kitchen items and hygiene kits to families in Tbilisi and the surrounding areas, where many displaced people have fled. To date, the agency has reached more than 37,000 people with much needed relief.

According to the Georgian Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation, more than 100,000 people have been displaced by the conflict between Georgia and Russia.

Significant numbers of people are returning to their homes, and Save the Children is planning to support the population as it moves. The agency will increase food distribution in and around Gori, conduct rapid health assessments, educate children on the dangers of unexploded ordnance and establish 45 child-friendly spaces for the protection of children.

"Families are beginning to return to their homes, but children still are at risk," said Tom Vincent, Save the Children's country director in Georgia. "Their lives are in flux, they may have lost their homes, and they are returning to an environment that presents a variety of dangers, including structurally damaged buildings, unexploded ordnance and debris. Save the Children will work to ensure that children in the affected areas are safe, healthy and able to bounce back from this crisis."

Background

Save the Children is coordinating its response with other relief agencies by providing child-focused expertise in emergency food relief, shelter, non-food relief, children's protection and their health and nutrition.

Save the Children has worked in Georgia since 1993, providing health, education and livelihood programs among the country's most vulnerable populations, including street children and displaced families. All of the agency's offices, with the exception of Abkhazia, are open and operating.

Learn more about Save the Children's emergency response in Georgia.