Siri Elverland
Tbilisi (22.08.2008) - NRC is distributing mattresses, blankets, bed sheets and sanitary equipment to displaced families in Georgia. Until it is safe for them to return home, they have to live in the crowded collective centres.
Translated by Helle Veiersted
130 families are living in the school in the Didube district on the outskirts of Georgia's capital Tbilisi. The families have fled the violence in Gori and the surrounding villages, some of them have even fled South Ossetia. In a hurry and without much of their personal belongings, they fled the war atrocities. Simple things like a mattress to sleep on, soap and a toothbrush help make the day a little easier.
"The most important thing right now is helping those in need," says Secretary General Elisabeth Rasmusson, who helped distribute emergency aid to internally displaced people this week.
So far, NRC has distributed food and non-food items to more than 4200 people who have been forced to flee Tbilisi and the surrounding areas. The emergency aid team is working around the clock buying necessary articles, organizing packages for the IDP families and distributing it at the collective centres. In the coming weeks and days, close to 10 000 people will receive emergency assistance from NRC.
UNHCR and Georgian authorities estimate that a total of 158 000 people have been forced to flee the violence of the past weeks. About 100 000 people have been displaced within Georgia. Most of them have arrived in Tbilisi and its surrounding areas. Those who have not had family and friends to stay with have sought refuge in schools, kindergartens and other public buildings.
Many of these buildings are not suitable for housing families for long periods of time. The water systems, toilets and cooking amenities are often lacking or in poor condition. NRC is therefore doing simple repairs and improvements on water and sanitation systems in order to improve the living conditions in the collective centres.
"This is only a temporary solution and it is vital that the IDPs are able to return home as soon as possible," says Rasmusson. She points out that people who have been forced to flee have the right to return home safe and at their own free will.
People in need should also get assistance in rebuilding homes that have been destroyed by the war. NRC will assist those that are unable to return to their home areas with finding better living arrangements elsewhere.
NRC's Secretary General emphasises that the parties to the conflict need to maintain the signed ceasefire agreement and ensure that humanitarian organisations get access to the war torn areas.
"It is also very important that homes and farmland are cleared of mines before people return home, and that mined areas are properly secured and marked," Rasmusson says.
NRC has provided humanitarian assistance to refugees and IDPs in Georgia since 1994. It is currently the only Norwegian NGO with a permanent presence in the country.
Press contact information in Tbilisi:
Press adviser Siri Elverland, mobile: +47 40 40 81 91