December 31, 2024
News
In 2024, Georgia faced one of its most challenging years in recent history. Despite the difficult political situation, Caritas Czech Republic continued its vital work across various sectors. From providing support to rural farmers and carrying out disaster risk reduction initiatives in the highlands, to strengthening early childhood education and enhancing digital skills for youth with special requirements, our efforts reached hundreds of lives. We ended the year by contributing to a nationwide food safety awareness campaign. Let’s dive deep to learn more about our success in 2024.
The community of Oni is now more resilient to meet the challenges posed by climate change
Climate change is a global challenge, often leading to natural disasters that disrupt communities and economies. The impact in Georgia is especially pronounced due to the country's diverse and complex geography, where different climates can be found in proximity. For a small country like ours, the consequences of climate change are deeply felt.
With the support of the Czech government, Caritas Czech Republic took action in Oni municipality, focusing on flood risks and disaster preparedness. The project team conducted a detailed assessment of hazards and conducted a geological survey to understand the community's risks better. They worked closely with the local government to develop an emergency management plan tailored to Oni, which included a communication strategy to raise residents' awareness of various aspects of disasters.
The project also focused on local schools, training teachers on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. After the training, the project helped schools create their emergency management plans, followed by simulation exercises with the emergency management service to ensure readiness in case of disaster. Our team also provided essential equipment to strengthen the schools' resilience, boosting their technical capacity and helping safeguard the school community for the future.
Through these efforts, we’ve made tangible steps towards preparing the community of Oni for the challenges posed by climate change, ensuring greater safety and sustainability for the local population.
Income of dozens of farmers from highlands of Georgia increased significantly
Cattle breeding in Georgia is one of the lowest-income activities, but still very popular. Farmers face numerous challenges, including limited access to education, modern equipment, and new technologies. Despite these obstacles, they remain determined to improve their farms and contribute to the local economy.
With a two-year-long initiative, Caritas Czech Republic supported Georgian farmers by helping them improve their access to local markets. This was achieved by enhancing business development, raising sanitary and biosecurity standards, and strengthening connections with clients and financial resources. Experts worked alongside artificial insemination specialists, veterinarians, and farmers to build skills in artificial insemination, animal care, sustainable pasture management, feed production, and proper cattle feeding practices.
The project included training sessions for farmers, veterinarians, and insemination specialists and creating demonstration plots to promote rotational grazing. Grants were also provided to purchase essential equipment for beef cattle breeding.
As a result, more farmers adopted sustainable and productive animal husbandry practices, leading to better access to markets and increased incomes.
Hundreds of kindergarten children now get better services
Kindergartens play a crucial role in children's early development. For this reason, teachers and early childhood educators must be equipped with up-to-date, evidence-based knowledge to support children effectively. In Georgia, the preschool education system faces numerous challenges, making investing in its improvement and supporting its development vital.
Caritas Czech Republic has been actively working to enhance the quality of early childhood education nationwide. The project aimed to transform the landscape of early childhood care in Georgia by focusing on key areas of development. It worked to improve national policies in early childhood education, ensuring that the system was more effective and accessible for all children, including ones with special requirements. At the same time, the project played a pivotal role in preparing new specialists and offering training to enhance the skills and qualifications of service providers across the country.
In addition to professional development, the project introduced new services aimed at fostering early childhood development and inclusive preschool education strategies in selected municipalities. These efforts helped create more inclusive, supportive learning environments that catered to the diverse needs of young children, paving the way for a more equitable and effective educational system.
Digital competencies of youth from Georgia, Armenia, and Moldova has increased
In Georgia, many young people are neither employed nor engaged in education or training programmes. This issue is particularly acute among youth with special requirements, internally displaced persons, and those from socially vulnerable backgrounds, many of whom face unemployment and are excluded from educational opportunities. As a result, many young people still need to be connected to the job market, unsure of the steps required to enter it.
With this in mind, with the European Union’s support, Caritas Czech Republic carried out an exciting initiative to enhance the competencies of vulnerable youth in the digital profession. As part of the project, a guide to digital professions was created to assist career counselors in advising on digital careers. This led to the development of a manual, which provided valuable information on the growth of digital professions, the career counseling process, and the specific challenges vulnerable youth face. The manual also offered strategies for overcoming barriers and using assistive technologies and featured a classification of digital occupations and educational resources.
Based on the guide, training sessions were conducted for NGOs, preparing them to participate in a grant competition. The winners, selected through the competition, received €2,000 to offer digital career counseling to vulnerable youth, helping them navigate the digital job market and build a pathway to employment.
Raise awareness on food safety topics
According to official data, around 40,000 cases of food poisoning or related diseases are reported every year in Georgia, though the actual number is likely much higher. Many foods contain harmful chemicals that don’t immediately cause illness, but with repeated consumption, these substances can lead to serious long-term health problems, often without the consumer realizing the danger.
In the fall of 2024, Caritas Czech Republic joined an important European Union-supported awareness campaign led by the Czech Development Agency to tackle this issue across Georgia. The campaign started with a grant competition to identify and empower regional civil society organisations (CSOs). These local organisations were then tasked with driving the awareness campaign in their communities.
In 2025, the initiative will unfold online and offline, bringing attention to the critical food safety issue from all angles. Focusing on the "farm to fork" principle, the campaign will highlight how food is produced, processed, and consumed, encouraging people to think about the safety of their food at every step. Through these efforts, Caritas Czech Republic will work to inform and empower communities, helping them make safer, healthier choices and ultimately reducing the risk of foodborne illness across the country.
The current development of Georgia primarily relies on the support of its people and donor organisations
Since establishing its country office in Georgia, Caritas Czech Republic has been at the forefront of driving systemic change and empowering local communities. With the generous financial support from European Union countries and the EU itself, we’ve had the privilege of transforming the lives of thousands across Georgia.
Through this invaluable partnership, we’ve been able to help strengthen the country’s primary healthcare system, ensuring that more people have access to the care they need. We’ve raised awareness about disabilities, advocating for the rights and inclusion of people with special requirements. Our work has brought practical support to municipalities, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to protect the environment and reduce disaster risks in some of the most vulnerable regions.
Cancer prevention has been another key focus, and we’ve dedicated ourselves to educating the public about early detection and healthy living along with building the Zugdidi Screening Center. Our youth programmes have offered a lifeline to young people, especially those with disabilities and NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), helping them find new paths in digital era.
But our work has gone far beyond these core activities. Every day, we’ve been privileged to work alongside communities, hearing their stories and sharing their hopes. All of this has been made possible by the trust and support of international donors, whose belief in our mission has allowed us to serve the Georgian people with care, dedication, and impact.
As Caritas Czech Republic’s country office in Georgia, we want to take this moment to express our deepest gratitude to all of our partners and supporters. Your unwavering commitment to the well-being of the Georgian people has made a real difference — for that, we thank you!
