Unforgivable Motherhood

Cozy mansion is situated near Tbilisi, in Tsavkisi village, with a swimming pool and playground, swings and a big dog lying in the gate. The yard is always full of children. They are quite many here. Some - are siblings, but mostly they aren’t even relatives to one another. They live with their mothers. There are no Dads in.

This is the asylum for mothers and children, under the protection of Patriarchy. It was founded almost 10 years ago and every year new group of people get shelters here. Now there are totally 10 women.

Tamila, 34, from Adjara and her little son are one of the oldest inhabitants of the asylum. 2 years have passed since she first found worm bedroom and food here. This is not her only child, she has also 2 others, but they live with their grandmother now.

Everyone knows her story and she never gets critics for it. Tamila was married; her husband went to Greece for work. 10 years passed and she found out that he had another family there. Then there appeared the other man, with whom he fall in love and got pregnant. The man had his own family and he refused both, Tamila and her kid. She went to her parents but they threw her away. So she went to the capital and she left her two other kids at her ex-husband’s place.

“He asked me to make abortion but I refused. This was my decision. I went to the clinics for two times, but I couldn’t make abortion. I wanted to give birth to Gio and I think he should have been born”, she says now.

Tamila can explain easily the reason her parents and brother didn’t accept her: “ I used to be married and I got pregnant from another man, not my husband people around, where I’m from would say a lot of bad things about me. My parents knew this”.

Asylum director Davit Datuashvili visits Tamila and others every day. Children coming from school often have to tell him their marks, honestly, even if they got 6 or 5. Anyway he won’t get angry with them. He is the responsible for their medical assistance, food, education and all other necessary things.

Today one boy got bitten but the dog and he has to take him immediately to the hospital for anti – rubies injection. None of them are insured. There are no social programs which protect those mothers and kids. Last year the children were refused to go to the camp because technically neither ministry of education nor Health Ministry is responsible for them.

Father Davit comes to the asylum every week and he knows every story which women have gone through. They pray together and some of them are even father Davit’s spiritual children. He says that the kids who are born without marriage must not be aborted, as they are all sons and daughters of God and the church treats them all equally. “From the day the baby is fecundated, father is responsible for it and he should care about him. Of course the best way is to have ceremony, but whatever happens next, the mother shouldn’t abort the baby”, he says.

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There is another shelter for single mothers in Tbilisi, which works on the government budget. Irina Bequridze, director of Tbilisi Infant House is in charge of it. Since 2007 her institution unites the asylum for single mothers. It was founded by the NGO World Vision in 2002, in frames of pilot project “Prevention and deinstitutionalization of abandoning babies”. After 4 years the project was handed to the Ministry of Health and Social Care.

Almost 50 women get shelters there every year. The time they can stay varies from 3 months to a year and a half. During this time the mothers are in a close contact with their social workers, and based on the data provided by the social service, the directorate of the asylum decides how long the appointee can stay there.

There are 10 kids, 9 mothers and one pregnant, in the asylum at present. The total limit is 21 mothers and kids. “Even the first hours are very important for a woman, who leaves the maternity hose, and she knows that her baby has no family and she has no friends any bore because they all have refused her. When they see that such place exists and they don’t have to live in the street, this is a huge relief as they say. May be several months aren’t enough but they learn motherhood here and they become more motivated in life”, says Irina Bequridze. She thinks prevention of abandoning infants in that case, works successfully.

The asylum also tries to mediate between the families and the single mothers. Not all attempts are successful they say.

Maia Tsereteli, Director of World Vision was one of the founder of the asylum. She also remembers the cases of mediation between the families and refused women. She says they have problems with society, and mostly when they are from rural areas. “When the woman has no income and no close people who can provide her with necessary things, of course the natural and only way for her is to leave the baby at the infant house”, she says.

World Vision has two approaches for solving this problem: one is to mediate between the families and abandoned mothers, where they even try to change the attitude of environment towards the single mother (in narrow social groups, like in small villages); and another is to find employment for them. In both cases social workers are involved into the process.

World Vision has also established the Day Houses for those single mothers who are estimated as poor and their pre-kindergarten kids need someone to look after during the hours they are at work. This is pilot project yet and only few numbers of mothers can use it.

Maka Tatulashvili is employment program manager in World Vision and Day House. She says that some women aren’t willing to start new independent life because they are afraid of the environment but when they work properly they always have desired success.

Keti Burjiashvili is the psychologist of the asylum for single mothers. She confirms that providing women with the job is crucial in the process of their socialization. She says most of them are psychologically damaged, but in spite of this, very few of them want to talk about their problem.

The psychologist says that these women are victims of social attitude. “May be their parents also find it difficult to reject their pregnant daughters but because of the stereotypes and social opinion which is severe, those women and their new born babies stay absolutely alone and the children are called illegal kids,” she says.

The fact that the social opinion is really severe towards the women with kids and no marriage is clearly seen from the data of Caucasus Research resource Centre (CRRC). According to Caucasus Barometer 2009, on the question ‘from what age is it exactable for woman to have sex before marriage’, 80 per cent says that is not exactable at any age. As for the cohabitee of man and woman without marriage, for 72 per cent of inquired this is not exactable at all.

Social attitude towards the mothers who gave birth their children without church blessing or legal confirmation is quite radical in Georgia. Based on the general picture, it is easy to identify how broad the risk group of being abandoned can.

Failed Kisses

GEORGIA - Tbilisi: 'We kiss in the park cuz we like it': This was the name of the event created in Facebook with almost 600 'attend' and many supportive comments below. The group of people protesting new rules of behavior in public places, decided to gather in a newly opened park at Rike, where the kissing to the partner is prohibited by the park security.

The way of expressing position towards the unwritten new law, was unusual for the Tbilisi citizens, where meetings are always politically motivated and with radical demands.

The event started at 8 p.m and from the very beginning the organizers seemed to be out of plan. The number of reporters prevailed over the couples; there were no microphones, no slogans and no synchronic kisses.

Shy couples were observing minority of daredevils from the distance. In spite of total intentions, nothing exciting happened, which certainly means that the massage “we kiss in the park cuz we like it” failed to be delivered.

Books and Kids

Writer: Sopo Datishvili

Camera: Shorena Kopaleishvili

Editing: Sopo datishvili, Reshad Aliev

GIPA 2010

Georgia Ave Maria

Sopo Datishvili, Shorena Kopaleishvili

GIPA 2010

Old Tbilisi (Photo Story)

This story was done as a reportage but due to some technical problems I wasn't able to upload it here. These are the photos which I took during the shooting process and I made some captions which I took from the script.

• Tbilisoba is a celebration for the capital of Georgia, during which every year the old soul of Tbilisi is revealed in downtown modern streets . Some people see difference and similarities between present and past times.

• Lutsa Malukyan is 85. she was born in one of the old districts of Tbilisi and since then she has been living at that place. She works at the St, George Armenian church near her place. Everybody knows her in old neighborhood. When we were filming her the passers by were asking when would they be able to see 'their granny Lutsa' on TV.
  
• Lutsa Malukyan is one of those - who remembers old Tbilisi, street bazaars, Kintos and even the merchants with camels.
  

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  She says that 60 years ago this neighborhood was more lively then now. The families of different nationalities like Armenians, Georgians, Azeri, Kurds, lived side by side and they were like one big family. "Now they moved away. Here came many new people, only my family is left from the old neighborhood. My home is as old as me myself".
  
  

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  One can also find some specially arranged street bazaars during Tbilisoba, but some spots are permanently good reminders of old times such as carpet shops at the place of old carpet selling area called Karvasla. As the crossing point of the silk road, Tbilisi was like a museum of carpets from Eastern countries. It was often cold 'a town of carpets', by visitors.

• Georgian Institute of Manuscripts preserved the records of 19^th century Iran traveler Majtu Saltan about his contemporary Tbilisi. His photo materials give the possibility to compare old and new Tbilisi. In his records he is amazed with the hotels of the town and what is very interesting, he mentions big number of chemists' shops. We, as viewers were very surprised to see the general view of 19th Tbilisi and see there multi floor buildings with an European look.
• After consulting with the professor of the University of the Manuscripts, next day early in the morning my colleague and me tried to get to that place where presumably Majtu saltan was taking pictures of Tbilisi, Mtkvari, Metechi and Narikala churches, but practically it was impossible to shoot the same view from the same place. The hill was full of houses built afterwards.

• Tbilisoba is ending, the town will return back to its usual lifestyle and old balconies and narrow streets will wait for the next celebration of their history.

Service and Medical Treatment in Georgia

Mariam Bolokadze 79,  pensioner from Tbilisi is under medical treatment for her high arterial pressure  and she often gets prescribed medicine Enap-H. Mariam Bolokadze says that while buying that particular medicine almost always the assistants of the drug store give her “long and boring” suggestions of alternative with the same generic or in other words the same main component, though she has the prescription on that very brand.

Bolokadze is sure that the medicine she often uses is really helpful unlike another one, suggested by the chemist. In fact here are two problems, first the way prescription was written and another – the question, has the drag store assistant any right to change your mind?

Dr. Devi Khechinashvili Georgian Insurance Association (GIA) Chairman of the Board Thinks that the misunderstood and problems among chemists and consumers in such cases are mainly caused by the fact that there is wrong policy of writing prescriptions in Georgia.

Hardly anyone knows that as it follows the doctors should prescribe generics and not the brand names to the patients. This is widely spread tendency in many western countries. As Dr. Khechinashvili explains. Here also there lurks other problem according to him: “Pharmaceutical companies have some ties with the doctors, giving them commission as a profit. This is at least non ethical I think”.  He also added that in other countries such activities count as a criminal like in some way that might be even dangerous for the patient.

Still the doctors calm that there is too small and only theoretic chance for any serious side effects in case of substituting two similar medicines. 

The head of the emergency department in Tbilisi Republican Hospital Giorgi Gotsadze thinks that it is practically impossible any drug store to sell to the consumer absolutely different consistence for any marketing reasons and in all the other cases one and the same generics cannot harm consumer. He gives prescriptions with pharmacological appointment and the patients never have complained about suggesting something different from this.

Some private chemist stores are also keen on giving choices as they call to the consumers while buying the medicine. Lia Tsakadze is the owner and pharmacist of the drug store at Nutsubidze Street.  “Consumers don’t like when I suggest them some cheaper replacements. They want exactly that medicine which was prescribed to them”.

She says that there are some regular clients from her district who trust her and they take her advice into consideration. Lia Tsakadze remembers many cases when consumers were thankful to her for cheaper alternative of the prescribed medicine.

She says that still the pharmacists shouldn’t force the consumers to buy certain medicine for any marketing purpose, but if they do so, they should be very careful as a side effect isn’t the issue which can be excluded.

“The consumers mostly make substitutions in two medical analogues when they need them for small treatment and the difference among them is in price”. This is the tendency detected by Lia Tsakadze during her working experience as a pharmacist.

 According to the CRRC (Caucasus Research Resource Center) enquiry of 2008, 29 percent of Georgia’s population goes to pharmacy for small cold treatment.  The smallest number of the small cold treatment falls on the visit of doctor, which is about 5 percent in Georgia. As it appears from the data Georgians prefer to do nothing or have a hot cup of tea (34percent) when they feel the symptoms of the cold.

Devi Khechinashvili says that expenses on medicine in Georgia are 9-10%from GDP and for about 40% out of this falls on pharmaceutical service. He explains that this is not good as pharmacy merges the shares of other medical services. This is only one part of the chain which links to the monopoly of the market and uncontrolled prices on drugs.

Meanwhile the representatives of two largest drug store chain Aversi don’t want to give comments about what criteria are the medicines suggested to the consumers. The representatives of PSP Group, another market leader also don’t seem willing to speak about this issue and they even find it strange why the press got interested with such things. Yet the consumers like Maro Bolokadze are still confused in one hand because of the wrong prescription policy and on the other hand due to the lack of information about their rights as consumers.

The Character of Georgian Ancestors Revealed through Clothing

The FINANCIAL 

On Chavchavadeze Avenue, in downtown Tbilisi , knock-off European clothing brands sit next to high-tech shops, in-vogue peep-toe platforms pose near the trendy iPad. However Samoseli Pirveli has little to share with them: the shop doesn’t sell the latest outfits, but the ultra-traditional Georgian chokhas. Sewn from thick fabric, tight at the waist and loose at the end, the chokha is the traditional male dress in the Caucasus, its use dating back to the 9th century. Email

By the 1920s chokhas started becoming a rare sight on the street: now they usually only feature at folk-associated events like weddings and similar celebrations. However the pride for traditional Georgian clothing seems to be returning.

Levan Vasadze and Luarsab Togonidze are old friends that share a passion for traditional Georgian clothing. They felt the market was ready for an old-fashioned clothing company that looks at the past but meets the demands of today’s customers. Luarsab Togonidze, now Samoseli Pirveli’s General Director, says that the company was established over a year ago, but the shop was opened in March this year.

They used the months in between to carry out historical research of the style, the fabrics, the design, the master tailors, and the accessories of chokhas through the centuries. “We also looked at how much theatre and cinema changed the real style of clothes,” explained Togonidze. The entire collection is created in Georgia by the 40 people employed in the company. Most of the designs are based on old photographs, so the chokhas produced are mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Wearing chokhas in the 21st century is not exactly comfortable. The thick fabric makes them unbearable in the scorching Caucasus summer sun.

Who buys chokhas today then? The buyers are Georgians who want them for special events, like weddings, or foreigners fascinated by the style. So the prices in the shop are not very expensive. In other European countries national costumes cost even more, like Scottish kilt prices which start from 90 EUR and can go up to 900-1,000 EUR. “The prices range between 250 and 1,040 GEL, which is reasonable for chokhas,” explained shop assistant Irina Alelishvili. Some orders also come from corporate customers for their parties.

Over the last few weeks, orders have been up to 5-7 in a day which is quite a good number, say company representatives.

The General Director of the company says that there are certain impulses which different outfits give to the person wearing them. “In these ancient clothes we can see the character of our ancestors, their style of life and their nature. I don’t want to give the Chokha some sacral meaning but it certainly has some sort of metaphysical power,” he said.

The company owners plan to enlarge their business, opening branches across the capital and beyond. Contacts with the Georgian diaspora may lead to opening a similar shop in Turkey.

In Georgia there used to be different variations of the Chokha in the different regions, therefore shops that sell them should provide a variety of traditional clothing. For example there is the Kartli-Kakheti chokha, which is longer than others, with a V-neck on the chest and worn without a belt.

The most popular one is still the classic black and white, which is most often chosen by bridegrooms. Traditionally the Chokha needs many little details such as ornamental daggers and cartridge belts to complete the image of the old fighting and defensive traditions of Georgian men. They cost extra and almost every Chokha shop supplies them. These plus black polished boots create the image of a man from the 18th and 19th centuries in Georgia.

After the Second World War traditional Georgian clothes became less popular. It was associated with the showing off of nobility. The Soviet regime drastically changed the mood of the population. In recent years the Chokha has become popular again. This was the will of the Catholicos Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II, who the idea of creating the brand “Samoseli Pirveli” is contributed to as well. The company owners say that the brand will definitely be successful because the idea and mentality of the typical Soviet soldier and his clothing has departed and the country is restoring its traditions in the same way as many other European countries have done.

Despite its original flair, Samoseli Pirveli is the latest addition to the already established, albeit niche, business of traditional Georgian clothing and accessories.

Art Saloon on central Rustaveli Avenue has been selling chokhas for 20 years. All the traditional items of clothing are sewn by various Georgian tailors who also stitch together puppets and papakhi, the round sheep’s wool hat, common in the highlands of the country. Pridon Magradze, the store’s director explains that each style, each piece of clothing, has a history. “In the old times women would spend several years sewing garments for their future husbands, which their husband would then wear during battle.”

There are many different sizes of Chokha. The prices start from 120-130 GEL but don’t include the accessories which are necessary to complete the traditional look.

Keti Topchishvili works at Art Saloon: she reckons that about 15-20 chokhas are sold every month, a number that doubles during the “wedding season”, when there are no fasting days. “Generally 7 out of 10 chokhas purchased are for a wedding,” she said. As for the style, foreigners tend to go for purple while Georgians stick to the traditional black-and-white scheme.

In most cases the customers ask for a costume to be made specially for them. This takes a week. The service is as fast as possible. The dresses and Chokhas which are for different celebrations in real life are thicker than those which are used for stage, as the dancers should feel free in them. Unlike “Samoseli Pirveli”, Art Saloon on Rustaveli has Chokhas for stage but dancers mostly buy their outfits individually. The shops don’t receive large scale group orders. Sometimes they send their outfits abroad. For example they sent four highland dresses to Singapore for a Georgian wine festival there.

Samoseli Pirveli doesn’t have a women’s department yet, but they say that in the autumn they are going to launch a women’s line as well. The designers are in the process of creating a dress line for the part of society which spends the most on clothing. But buyers can even get some accessories for women now. These are scarves with traditional Georgian decorations. One can also get tiny Chokhas made for infants and little children. The shop representatives say that many people buy outfits for the younger generations.

Chokhas are mainly for men. But the revival of traditional clothing has touched upon women as well and the demand for female garments has increased. Ana Ninua, a young costume artist, is working on the women’s collection at Samoslei Pirveli. She says that the traditional Georgian woman was very feminine and beautiful. Long skirts decorated with ornaments are going to be preserved in the 21st century collection as well. This will show a return of traditional Georgian women’s clothing, just as the chokha has returned to the lives of Georgian men.