I was in Georgia in 2008 when the conflict between Georgia and Russia begun. During the conflict there were 75 thousands of Internal Displaced People from South Osetia. The humanitarian aid came quickly so hundred's of tents and new houses appeared. The situation of South Osetina IDPs open eyes of humanitarian organisation's worker on IPDs that were left without support for many years: IDPs from Abhazia.
Approximatelly 350,000 Internally Displaced Persons live in Georgia now.
About 240,000 people out of a population of four and a half million were displaced in Georgia by conflicts which broke out in the early 1990s in Abhazia. Many still live in precarious conditions, but their stories are little known. Now that the Georgian government is implementing a national strategy on IDPs, it is important that their situation, feelings and hopes are understood in order to effectively protect their rights.
Georgia is the second country selected in IDMC’s IDP Voices series. IDMC plans to publish together with Panos London more stories of displaced people from all around the world. These stories reveal issues that go beyond typical perceptions of IDPs’ assistance and protection needs and touch on values, identity, feelings and emotions. By giving them the opportunity to speak out, rather than having their needs and priorities decided by outsiders, IDMC wishes to contribute to a better understanding of forced displacement and its impact. You can find there here.
My friend had a similar idea. Linda Romanovska was a GLEN volunteer in Georgia in 2009. She lived in Borjomi and discovered that around 2000 internally displaced persons living for years in miserable conditions in old soviet buildings in Borjomi town.
Let me present her short film:
Tbilisi Uses Hip-Hop to Raise Awareness of IDP Issue