August 25, 2008
Several organizations, including World Vision and Project HOPE have been serving on the frontlines in Russia. They are actively aiding many people who have been involved in the Georgia conflict by engaging in humanitarian efforts and providing medical supplies.
In regard to most recent efforts, as reported by Dwayne Mamo, Communications Manager, World Vision Georgia on Aug. 21, “World Vision is calling for a ceasefire to be honored by both sides and to allow humanitarian access to those who remain in need. Just recently we have been able to deliver emergency supplies to the previously inaccessible city of Gori, but South Ossetia remains too dangerous for humanitarian agencies to access.”
In describing the situation there, he said, “We have seen thousands of people, especially women and children, fleeing the violence in South Ossetia and Gori, and coming here to Tbilisi. Unfortunately, a lot of families have been separated. In some cases, fathers and sons stayed behind while the mothers and young children sought safety. Now many of these people don't know where their loved ones are or if they are okay.”
World Vision in Georgia is responding to the urgent needs of displaced people by distributing food in cooperation with the World Food Program. Mamo said the organization is also distributing non-food-items such as hygiene kits, as well as providing medical supplies to Tbilisi’s main hospital.
“Our recent delivery to Gori consisted of 10-day food rations for 1,000 people. World Vision plans to help close to 48,000 displaced people in over 300 collection centers in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. To date, we have provided food to over 10,500 displaced persons and non-food items to over 6,000. World Vision is currently working in partnership with the UN and other agencies carrying out needs assessments in all the centers in Tbilisi, with a special focus on the needs of children,” Mamo said.
World Vision teams in the Russian Federation are also helping those who have fled to North Ossetia. World Vision is providing medical supplies such as bandages, crutches, pain relievers, syringes and antibiotics to the wounded through partners. They are also planning to open Child Friendly Spaces where affected children can come and interact with other children and re-establish a sense of normalcy in their lives.
“As a Christian humanitarian agency, World Vision's goal is to respond when there is human suffering. As a result of this conflict, many people have experienced terrible things and have been left with very few resources of their own. World Vision is able to help provide some of those resources. We want to do all that we can to help these people,” said Mamo.
Yet, there are still difficult days ahead in regard to the immediate future of those who have been involved in the conflict.
“I can tell you that these families, these women and children, will need a lot of help to rebuild their lives. Houses have been razed, children have seen neighbors killed, families have been torn apart. These experiences leave emotional scars that last a lifetime. For many, the immediate outlook is bleak,” Mamo said.
He continued, “Taking part in the distributions myself, I have personally seen the effect that World Vision's relief work is having. We are meeting the immediate, physical needs of thousands of people. You have to remember, many of them fled their homes and left everything behind, so they lack even basic supplies. We are able to provide some of those supplies for them and hopefully sustain them and help them get back on their feet. And I've also seen the emotional impact of our work. In a crisis like this where people have witnessed a lot of violence, the simple fact that we care about them and are working to help them lets them know that they are loved.”
World Vision has been in Georgia since 1994, and currently has 155 permanent staff in Georgia working on a variety of relief, rehabilitation and development initiatives. Additionally, they have worked in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation since 1995, including peacebuilding and economic recovery projects in North Ossetia. The organization has also worked in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Orenburg.
