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  • IMG_1010916_GEORGIA. Alaverdi. 2011. The wine cellar (marani in Georgian) of Metropolitan David of Alaverdi, Telavi and Tusheti. The vineyard is in the fruitful Alazani valley, 415 meters above sea level and 110 km east of Tbilisi. The vineyard produces a red wine, the Saperavi and a white wine, the Rkatsiteli.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0024.jpg
  • IMG_0584_GEORGIA. Gurjaani. 2011. Harvesting grapes. Gurjaani is one of the most important centers for the production of wine in the country.<br />
The vineyard is in the fruitful Alazani Valley, in Kakheti region, 415 meters above sea level and 110 km east of Tbilisi. The vineyard produces a red wine, the Saperavi and a white wine, the Rkatsiteli.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0012.jpg
  • IMG 3741 GEORGIA. Ingiri. 2007. Woman cutting wood. Most of these lodgings are not supplied with drinking water, gas and heating. The refugees live in run-down buildings.The collective centers, where most refugees live, have become small islands apart from the rest of society, where people have jealously kept their identity and their set of values.<br />
The local population is indifferent and hostile to the fate of the refugees, who are considered as foreigners with special privileges who have come to steal housing and jobs.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3741.jpg
  • IMG 2375 GEORGIA. Kutaisi. 2007. An old woman walking on the square in front of a sanatorium. There are 22 sanatoria dating from the Soviet era in the region of Kutaisi. These are now occupied by around 7,000 refugees. Pensions amount to about 12 lari (6 euros) per month, which means they are living below the minimum poverty level.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_2375.jpg
  • IMG 1043 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2007. A teacher during the lesson. Prospects are better for young people than for the rest of the population. They have excellent vocational training and many of them go to school or university.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_1043.jpg
  • IMG_016 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. Georgian refugees from Abkhazia getting gas cookers and gas lamps by Georgian officials. 11 families stay in this collective center that don’t have the supply of drinkable water, of gas and of the heating.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_017.jpg
  • IMG 4154 GEORGIA. Zugdidi. 2007. Woman on the UNOMIG bus (United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia) crossing the border with Abkhazia. The refugees cross the border to cultivate the land or to do small jobs in Abkhazia. The lack of opportunities has driven some of the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), who formerly lived in the region of Gali near to the Northern border, which is now de facto closed, to return spontaneously to Abkhazia in search of work, at considerable risk to their lives, in the hope of earning a minimum income for their families.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_4154.jpg
  • IMG 3278 GEORGIA. Ingiri. 2007. Refugees drawing water from a well. Most of the dwellings are not connected to drinking water or to gas supply for heating.The collective centers, where most refugees live, have become small islands apart from the rest of society, where people have jealously kept their identity and their set of values.<br />
The local population is indifferent and hostile to the fate of the refugees, who are considered as foreigners with special privileges who have come to steal housing and jobs.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3728.jpg
  • IMG_023 GEORGIA. Gori. 2009. The main square with the Stalin’s monument and the City hall in the background, the city of Gori is 70 km west of Tbilisi. After the outbreak of the war, the Russians took over the city for two weeks, the 80% of the population was forced to flee, the Russians shelled the city and its district too.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_022.jpg
  • IMG_011 GEORGIA. Tetriskaro’s district, 70 km west of Tbilisi. 2009. An elderly georgian refugee in the courtyard of her house in this new settlement, she moved in from the Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia. In this new settlement of 29 houses staying 9 families, at the moment, the houses and the surrounding lands were bought by the Georgian government. With a population of only 4,4 million people, this harsh situation for refugees has affected in impressive way at the general situation of the georgian society and has put serious problems and impediments at its development.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_012.jpg
  • IMG_0163_GEORGIA. Dodo Gareja. 2011.  Monks meeting friends. The monks live in a rock-hewn monastery complex (Lavra in Georgian) on the slopes of Mount Gareja, in the south of Kakheti, about 60-70 km south-east of the capital Tbilisi, near the border with Azerbaijan. The complex includes a dozen cells and a refectory hollowed out of the rock face. The monastery was founded in the sixth century by the Syrian monk Dodo, one of the 13 Syrian Fathers who founded monasteries in the regions of Kartli and Kakheti.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0030.jpg
  • IMG 1713 GEORGIA. Gori. 2007. Boys walking in a courtyard. Prospects are better for young people than for the rest of the population. The young people have excellent vocational training and many of them go to school or university.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_1713.jpg
  • IMG_025 GEORGIA. Karaleti, near Gori. 2009. The distribution to the refugees of used suits picked from UNIQLO (a brand for the young apparel) and Save the Children, an international NGO, in a new settlement, where 480 families moved in from South Ossetia and Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_025.jpg
  • IMG_020 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. Disable persons’ centre. A group of disable persons in a corridor. They lost their limbs during the war with Russia of August 2008. The refugees fled from the South Ossetia and Upper Abkhazia have a medical insurance that covers the costs for the admissions to hospitals.<br />
These disable persons get a benefit of 100 lari per month, about 50 euro from Georgian government.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_019.jpg
  • IMG_0306_GEORGIA. Zinobiani. 2011. Inside the village. The Udi came to Georgia 80 years ago from the village of Vartashen in Azerbaijan.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0022.jpg
  • IMG_0594_GEORGIA. Gurjaani. 2011. A boy of the local parish church during the harvest of grapes in the fruitful Alazani valley, in the region of Kakheti. Gurjaani is one of the most important centers for the production of wine in the country.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0019.jpg
  • IMG_1010959_GEORGIA. Tsinamdzguriantkari. 2011. Internal displaced persons and an officer of the Georgian government seen at the collective center. They were forced to flee from Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway province of South Ossetia, after the war with Russia in 2008. They continue to face harsh living conditions with little hope of ever going home.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0013.jpg
  • IMG_1010978_GEORGIA. Tsinamdzguriantkari. 2011. Internal displaced persons seen at a meeting with officials of the Georgian government. They continue to face harsh living conditions with little hope of ever going to home in South Ossetia.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0004.jpg
  • IMG_0790_GEORGIA. Nikosi. 2011. A group of boys seen at the local parish church. Nikosi is located less than a kilometer from Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway province of South Ossetia. This area has been the stage of intense firefights during the 2008 war against Russia, now the tension remains high along the “de facto” border. Many of the inhabitants of the area are still living beyond the last Georgian checkpoint, in a "no man's land" between Georgia and South Ossetia.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0003.jpg
  • IMG_027 GEORGIA. Akhali Kheoba. 2009. Some georgian refugees coming back home. 140 families stay in this new settlement, they moved in from the South Ossetia.The way of life of the Georgian refugees is subsequently deteriorated after the outbreak of the war with Russia in August 2008. The community of the refugees asks for a great attention, understanding and compassion to give the opportunity to live in dignity and safety. This dramatic social situation is becoming an unsustainable burden for the society and the Georgian government without the support of international community.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_027.jpg
  • IMG 015 GEORGIA. Polnisi. 2009. A refugee coming from the Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia, sitting on a chair in her flat. She gets a benefit from the Georgian government of 22 lari per month, around 11 euro. The Georgian refugees were obliged to accept a radical change in their life-style, leaving behind them not only their material possessions but also something even more important:  what had given a meaning to their existence.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_014.jpg
  • IMG 2698 GEORGIA. Zugdidi. 2007. Ophthalmic consultation in a polyclinic, 75 doctors offer unpaid work in these structures for visits, diagnoses and vaccinations. Health care is free for the poorest refugees and children in a series of polyclinics but only as regards diagnosis, visits and vaccinations, medicines have to be bought. For urgent cases entailing hospitalisation, the State covers 75% of the cost of operations and the patient must pay 25%, and here too these sums are beyond the economic means of the refugees, while 100% of health care costs have to be borne by the rest of the population.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_2698.jpg
  • IMG 2060 GEORGIA. Tsqaltubo. 2007. Early in the morning the refugees try to sell their meagre vegetable and fruit produce in a courtyard. Their per capita income is of only 14 lari (7 euros) per month, which is below the minimum poverty level. In 1999 the government inaugurated the “New Approach” policy with the aim of creating conditions for the communities to become self-sufficient, via financial aid for setting up small economic activities, agriculture and livestock rearing.  Unfortunately, the economic development of these communities has ground to a halt because of a lack of funds and infrastructures.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_2060.jpg
  • IMG 2030 GEORGIA. Tsqaltubo. 2007. Women sitting in a corridor in the evening.  With an income below the poverty level, there are no opportunities for amusement or travel.There are 22 sanatoria dating from the Soviet era in the region of Kutaisi and these are now occupied by around 7,000 refugees.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_2030.jpg
  • IMG 1898 GEORGIA. Kutaisi. 2007. Church of Saint Thecla. Portrait of members of the faithful during the Liturgy. Faith is one of the people’s most important values for the Georgians. Among the Christian communities of the Near East, Georgia is one of the most ancient, for in 327 Christianity was declared to be the official state religion.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_1898.jpg
  • IMG_003 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. Refugees coming from Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia, she is hugging each other. They stay in a flat that can host up to three-four households. The collective centers are decaying building and they don’t have the supply of gas, heating and potable water.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_003.jpg
  • IMG_9961_GEORGIA. Dodo Gareja. 2011. A monk seen at rock-hewn Georgian Orthodox  monastery complex (Lavra in Georgian) on the slopes of Mount Gareja, in the south of Kakheti, about 60-70 km south-east of the capital Tbilisi, near the border with Azerbaijan. The complex includes a dozen of cells and a refectory hollowed out of the rock face. The monastery was founded in the sixth century by the Syrian monk Dodo, one of the 13 Syrian Fathers who founded monasteries in the regions of Kartli and Kakheti.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0027.jpg
  • IMG_1010715_GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2011. Before the liturgy in the Cathedral of Sameba. The faith is one of the most important elements of the Georgian culture.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0025.jpg
  • IMG_0100_GEORGIA. Dodo Gareja. 2011. A monk seen at the rock-hewn monastery complex (Lavra in Georgian) on the slopes of Mount Gareja, in the south of Kakheti, about 60-70 km south-east of the capital Tbilisi, near the border with Azerbaijan. The complex includes a dozen of cells and a refectory hollowed out of the rock face. The monastery was founded in the sixth century by the Syrian monk Dodo, one of the 13 Syrian Fathers who founded monasteries in the regions of Kartli and Kakheti.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0010.jpg
  • IMG 3064 GEORGIA. Rukhi. 2007. Elderly women in a collective center. Most of these lodgings are not supplied with drinking water, gas and heating. Pensions amount to about 12 lari (6 euros) per month, which means they are living below the minimum poverty level.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3064.jpg
  • IMG 2572 GEORGIA. Tsqaltubo. 2007. A refugees family living in a collective center’s flat. Each apartment may house up to three or four families. Most of these lodgings are not supplied with drinking water, gas and heating, the refugees live in run-down buildings. The collective centers and the sanatoriums, where most refugees live, have become small islands apart from the rest of society, where people have jealously kept their identity and their set of values.The local population is indifferent and hostile to the fate of the refugees, who are considered as foreigners with special privileges who have come to steal housing and jobs.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_2572.jpg
  • IMG_024 GEORGIA. Shavshvebi. 2009. A group of georgian refugees in front of the World Food Program’s office. 167 georgian families stay in this new settlement, they moved in from the South Ossetia.They have a per capita income of only 22 per month, about 11 euro, which is below the minimum poverty level.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_023.jpg
  • IMG_012 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. A mother is looking after her child with flu in his bed. They moved in from the Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia. She is unemployed and gets a benefit from the Georgian government of 22 lari per month, around 11 euro. Her husband has left his family looking for a job. The refugees fled from South Ossetia and Upper Abkhazia have a medical insurance that covers the costs for the admissions to hospitals.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_011.jpg
  • IMG_0334_GEORGIA. Zinobiani. 2011. A man seen in his car. The Udis are one of the most ancient native people of the Caucasus and are direct descendants of the linguistic tradition of the Caucasian Albania.<br />
About two hundred Udi people live in the village of Zinobiani, in Kakheti. The Udi are Christian Orthodox and practice agricultural and livestock breeding. They came to Georgia 80 years ago from the village of Vartashen in Azerbaijan.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0007.jpg
  • IMG 4181 GEORGIA. Zugdidi. 2007. Refugees crossing the border with Abkhazia. The refugees wanted to return to their houses in Abkhazia, but the political process of re-pacification has ground to a halt after outbreak of war with Russia.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_4181.jpg
  • IMG 3765 GEORGIA. Ingiri. 2007. A man stripping maize in a storehouse. In 1999 government inaugurated the “New Approach” policy, giving refugees the right to acquire land with the aim of creating conditions for the communities to become self-sufficient, via financial aid for setting up small economic activities, agriculture and livestock rearing.  Unfortunately, the economic development of these communities has ground to a halt because of a lack of funds and infrastructures.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3765.jpg
  • IMG 3550 GEORGIA. Jvari. 2007. Boy drawing water from a well.  Most of the dwellings are not connected to a drinking water supply. The collective centers, where most refugees live, have become small islands apart from the rest of society, where people have jealously kept their identity and their set of values.<br />
The local population is indifferent and hostile to the fate of the refugees, who are considered as foreigners with special privileges who have come to steal housing and jobs.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3550.jpg
  • IMG 3330 GEORGIA. Zugdidi. 2007. An elderly deaf mute woman is making bread in her flat. They use portable electric stoves to cook. Most of these lodgings are not supplied with drinking water, gas and heating. Many old people live alone and are among the most vulnerable members of society, together with children. Poverty and malnutrition are common phenomena, as are psychological traumas resulting from the experience of armed conflict. Pensions amount to about 12 lari (6 euros) per month, which means they are living below the minimum poverty level.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3330.jpg
  • IMG 3133 GEORGIA. Rukhi. 2007. Woman grieving for her son who died in the civil war in Abkhazia. As a result of this political event, after the Abkhazian civil war  (1992-1993), some 300,000 Georgians were obliged to abandon their homes and livelihoods in Abkhazia.  Most of them left by sea, but others fled over land, across the mountains of Svaneti, where many of them, around 30,000, died in the difficult climatic conditions.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3133.jpg
  • IMG 3103 GEORGIA. Rukhi. 2007. Family of refugees in a collective center, each apartment may house as many as three or four family groups. <br />
Most of these lodgings are run-down buildings and are not supplied with drinking water, gas and heating. The collective centers, where most refugees live, have become small islands apart from the rest of society, where people have jealously kept their identity and their set of values.<br />
The local population is indifferent and hostile to the fate of the refugees, who are considered as foreigners with special privileges who have come to steal housing and jobs.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3103.jpg
  • IMG 2976 GEORGIA. Zugdidi. 2007. A mother attending vaccination for newborn infant, 30% of refugees are children who are entitled to free medical care.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_2976.jpg
  • IMG 2039 GEORGIA. Tsqaltubo. 2007. A girl is making cakes in her flat. Most lodgings have no gas or drinking water supply, each apartment may house as many as three or four family groups. Prospects are better for young people than for the rest of the population, they have excellent vocational training and many of them go to school or university, but they have great difficulty in finding work, the unemployment rate among the refugees is very high;  the lack of better perspectives for the future has disoriented and demoralized them.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_2039.jpg
  • IMG 1222 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2007. Pupil in the corridor of a school. Prospects are better for young people than for the rest of the population.They have excellent vocational training and many of them go to school or university.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_1222.jpg
  • IMG_026 GEORGIA. Gori’s district. 2009. The ceremony of delivery from the German Government, represented by the German ambassadress Patricia Flor, to Koba Subeliani, Minister for the Refugees of the Georgian Government, of 300 new houses for Georgian refugees fled from the South Ossetia and Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia. After the end of the war with Russia of August 2008, it was started a building program of 4.542 new house in the regions of Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli, Mtskheta-Tianeti and Kakheti. The houses have three rooms and have the supply of electricity, gas, heating and potable water. International community has given Georgian government 4,3 million dollars, of which 700 million dollars destined for the housing and the facilities.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_026.jpg
  • IMG_014 GEORGIA. Polnisi, a new settlement about 90 west of Tbilisi. 2009. Elderly georgian refugees stay in their flat. Most of the elderly live alone and they are the most vulnerable people of the community, together the children. 20 families moved in this new settlement from Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia. The way of life of the Georgians refugees is subsequently deteriorated after the outbreak of the war with Russia in August 2008.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_013.jpg
  • IMG_009 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009.  Avlabari’s metro station. As a result of the war with Russia in the August 2008, 35.000 ossetian refugees fled in the North Ossetia and 167.000 Georgians were forced to leave their houses ( 25.000 refugees from South Ossetia and 6.000 from the Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia).<br />
Georgian refugees moved in 448 IDP shelters across their country. The majority of them, 296, are in Tbilisi.<br />
Public schools, kindergartens, research institutions, higher education institutions and student dormitories are typical of the buildings pressed into service to help them. <br />
Initially, 202 of Tbilisi’s public schools sheltered IDPs. These were later transferred to other buildings, including kindergartens, freeing up 164 schools. A further 24 establishments have been partly vacated. It has not been possible to vacate every school; to date; sixteen of them are still used as emergency accommodation.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_009.jpg
  • IMG_0934_GEORGIA. A new settlement near Gori. 2011. Brother and sister seen in their home. They were forced to flee with their family from Tskhinvali, after the war with Russia in 2008. Their father works in the restoration of the church of Nikosi. He used to be a restorer in South Ossetia, their mother can’t find a job.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0011.jpg
  • IMG_1020177_GEORGIA. Tsilkani. 2011. Boys playing football in a training ground near a new settlement along the road to Gori. The settlement houses about four hundred families coming from Tskhinvali and Akhalgori, in South Ossetia.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0006.jpg
  • IMG 2186 GEORGIA. Khoni. 2007. The refugees are restoring houses attributed to them by the government in a collective center. The houses have been attributed to them by the Government via a voucher system guaranteed by the Urban Institute, a government body. The housing project is also supported by the UNHCR (the United Nations High Commission for Refugees).
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_2186.jpg
  • IMG 022 GEORGIA. Tbilisi near the Cathedral of Sameba. 2009. The Faith is one of the people’s most important values for the Georgians. Among the Christian communities of the Near East, Georgia is one of the most ancient, for in 327 Christianity was declared to be the official state religion.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_024.jpg
  • IMG 013 GEORGIA. Tserowani. 2009. A mourning in a house during a funeral. The Georgian war toll were in total 413 of which 169 soldiers, 228 civilians and 16 police officers, the wounded were 1.745, of which 1.198 soldiers and 547 civilians.<br />
The Russian authorities have confirmed 133 killed and 220 wounded instead.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_015.jpg
  • IMG_010 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. Association for People in Need of Special Care Centre. A group of disable persons during a meeting with Georgian officials. 18 volunteers look after of 54 psychic disabled persons coming from Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_010.jpg
  • IMG_0453_GEORGIA. Bodbe. 2011. A boy with his classmates visiting the holy spring of St. Nino, near the monastery of the saint who Christianized Georgia in the fourth century AD. The saint's relics are buried in the church of the monastery, one of the holiest places of pilgrimage in the country.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0021.jpg
  • IMG 3757 GEORGIA. Ingiri. 2007. A young woman running a nursery school.  30% of the refugees are children, these facilities are run by NGO’s that provide to support cultural and recreationals activities of the community.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3757.jpg
  • IMG 3561 GEORGIA. Jvari. 2007. In certain collective centers workshops have been set up, thus providing work for the refugees living in the area. In 1999 the government inaugurated the “New Approach” policy with the aim of creating conditions for the communities to become self-sufficient, via financial aid for setting up small economic activities, agriculture and livestock rearing.  Unfortunately, the economic development of these communities has ground to a halt because of a lack of funds and infrastructures.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3561.jpg
  • IMG 3531 GEORGIA. Jvari. 2007. Refugees working in a cement factory for road works.  In 1999 the government inaugurated the “New Approach” policy with the aim of creating conditions for the communities to become self-sufficient, via financial aid for setting up small economic activities, agriculture and livestock rearing.  Unfortunately, the economic development of these communities has ground to a halt because of a lack of funds and infrastructures.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_3531.jpg
  • IMG 1987 GEORGIA. Tsqaltubo. 2007. Old man laying in bed.  Elderly people living alone are among the most vulnerable members of society, together with children. Poverty and malnutrition are common phenomena, as are psychological traumas resulting from the experience of armed conflict. Pensions amount to about 12 lari (6 euros) per month, which means they are living below the minimum poverty level.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_1987.jpg
  • IMG 0639 GEORGIA. Tskhneti. 2007. A sick man in bed.  Free health care extends only to diagnosis and visits to the area polyclinic, for the poorest refugees and children, medicines have to be bought. For urgent cases entailing hospitalisation, the State covers 75% of the cost of operations and the patient must pay 25%, and here too these sums are beyond the economic means of the refugees, while 100% of health care costs have to be borne by the rest of the population.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2008_IMG_0639.jpg
  • IMG 019 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. A teacher in a corridor of a school that hosts several class from kindergarten to High School, students coming from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The perspective for the youngest are better than the rest of population, young people are very skilled, many of them go to school or attend the university but they can not to find a job, the lack of better perspectives for their future has left them bewildered and discouraged. The Russian invasion will also have series consequences on the Georgian educational system, in fact a lot of schools have been set on fire, ransacked or damaged, the buildings are not sure because mined and there are still cluster unexploded bombs in the same areas. Because of the war a lot of schools host Georgian refugees.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_020.jpg
  • IMG_007 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. An elderly georgian refugees coming from the Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia staying in a decaying building. Most of the elderly live alone and they are the most vulnerable people of the community, together the children. Poverty and malnutrition are social phenomenons, as even psychologic traumas caused by experience of armed conflict. The income pro-capita of retired persons is 22 lari a month, 11 euro, which is below the minimum poverty level.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_008.jpg
  • IMG_008 GEORGIA. Tetriskaro’s district, 70 km west of Tbilisi. 2009. Georgian refugees working the soil given him by the Georgian Government, refugee coming from the Kodori Gorge, in the Upper Abkhazia. In this new settlement of 29 houses staying 9 families, to the moment, the houses and the surrounding lands were bought by the Georgian Government. With a population of only 4,4 million people, this harsh situation for refugees has affected in impressive way at the general situation of the georgian society and has put serious problems and impediments at its development.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_007.jpg
  • IMG_006 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. A young refugee playing in a collective center's courtyard. The perspective for the youngest are better than the rest of population, young people are very skilled, many of them go to school or attend the university. Unfortunately during the last war with Russia, many scholastic buildings have been destroyed, burnt and ransacked, the scholastic facilities and the surrounding grounds were mined and there are still cluster unexploded bombs, shed on the ground. Many students and their teachers are refugees themselves and they will not be able to attend regularly the lessons, this could jeopardize the regularity of the school year.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2009_IMG_006.jpg
  • IMG_0676_GEORGIA. Gurjaani. 2011. The harvest of the grapes in the fruitful Alazani valley, in the region of Kakheti. Gurjaani is one of the most important centers for the production of wine in the country.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0023.jpg
  • IMG_1020065_GEORGIA. Tsinamdzguriantkari. 2011. An internal displaced person standing in front of the collective center. She was forced to flee from Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway province of South Ossetia, after the war with Russia in 2008. Refugees continue to face harsh living conditions with little hope of ever going home.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0020.jpg
  • IMG_0630_GEORGIA. Gurjaani. 2011. Boys of the parish church during the harvest of  grapes in the fruitful Alazani valley. Gurjaani is one of the most important centers for the production of wine in the country.
    CEOLONI_GEORGIA_2011_IMG_0018.jpg
  • IMG_0846_GEORGIA. A new settlement near Gori. 2011. Internal displaced persons are repairing their home. Most of the IDP come from Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway province of South Ossetia.
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  • IMG_1020042_GEORGIA. Tsinamdzguriantkari. 2011. An internal displaced person steers a wheelbarrow carrying a baby and a bag of flour inside a refugee camp. Refugees continue to endure harsh conditions with little hope of ever going to home in South Ossetia.
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  • IMG_0255_GEORGIA. Zinobiani. 2011. An elderly Udi seen in front of his house. The Udis are one of the most ancient native people of the Caucasus and are direct descendants of the linguistic tradition of the Caucasian Albania.<br />
About two hundred Udi people live in the village of Zinobiani, in Kakheti. The Udi are Christian Orthodox and practice agricultural and livestock breeding. They came to Georgia 80 years ago from the village of Vartashen in Azerbaijan.
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  • IMG_0365_GEORGIA. Zinobiani. 2011. Udi people seen at their house. Udi people practice agricultural and livestock breeding.
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  • IMG_1020007_GEORGIA. Tsinamdzguriantkari. 2011. An internal displaced person seen at the collective center. He was forced to flee from Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway province of South Ossetia, after the war with Russia in 2008. Refugees continue to face harsh living conditions with little hope of ever going home.
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  • IMG_0665_GEORGIA. Gurjaani. 2011. A boy of the local parish church during the harvest of grapes in the fruitful Alazani valley, in the region of Kakheti. Gurjaani is one of the most important centers for the production of wine in the country.
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  • IMG 3288 GEORGIA. Rukhi. 2007. Group of refugees in a corridor in a collective center. The unemployment rate among the refugees is very high; the lack of better perspectives for the future has disoriented and demoralized them. The refugees had a per capita income of only 14 lari (7 euros) per month, which is below the minimum poverty level.
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  • IMG 2736 GEORGIA. Kutaisi. 2007.  Patients waiting in a polyclinic corridor. For urgent cases entailing hospitalisation, the State covers 75% of the cost of operations and the patient must pay 25% and here too these sums are beyond the economic means of the refugees, while 100% of health care costs have to be borne by the rest of the population.
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  • IMG_017 GEORGIA. Tserowani, a new settlement down the road Tbilisi-Gori, about 60 km west of Tbilisi. 2009. Georgian refugees in front of Georgian NGO’s office getting benefit of 25 lari, about 12 euro. 3.800 georgian families stay in this new settlement moved in from the South Ossetia.
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  • IMG_004 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. An elderly georgian refugees coming from Abkhazia during the first wave of refugees (1992-1993 war with the breakaway republic of Abkhazia), in a collective center. The lack of better perspectives for their future has left them bewildered and discouraged. Tackling these problems the Government of Tbilisi had created two organizations: the Ministry of Refugees and in the 1995 the Government of Abkhazia in exile, now after 14 years bolstering them, resources are running out.
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  • IMG_0347_GEORGIA. Zinobiani. 2011. A man seen in his wine cellar (marani in Georgian). Udi people practice agricultural and livestock breeding.
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  • IMG_0269_GEORGIA. Zinobiani. 2011. A street of Udi village.
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  • IMG_0597_GEORGIA. Gurjaani. 2011. Boys of the parish church taking a rest after harvesting in the fruitful Alazani valley, in the region of Kakheti. Gurjaani is one of the most important centers for the production of wine in the country.
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  • IMG 3957 GEORGIA. Zugdidi. 2007. A mother attending pediatric examination for his child, 30% of refugees are children. Health care is free for the poorest refugees and children in a series of polyclinics but only as regards diagnosis, visits and vaccinations, medicines have to be bought. For urgent cases entailing hospitalisation, the State covers 75% of the cost of operations and the patient must pay 25%., and here too these sums are beyond the economic means of the refugees, while 100% of health care costs have to be borne by the rest of the population.
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  • IMG 3669 GEORGIA. Zugdidi. 2007. The refugees go to the market early in the morning to sell their meagre vegetable and fruit produce, their per capita income is of only 14 lari (7 euros) per month, which is below the minimum poverty level. In 1999 the government inaugurated the “New Approach” policy with the aim of creating conditions for the communities to become self-sufficient, <br />
via financial aid for setting up small economic activities, agriculture and livestock rearing.  Unfortunately, the economic development of these communities has ground to a halt because of a lack of funds and infrastructures.
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  • IMG 2866 GEORGIA. Kutaisi. 2007. Priests during vespers. Faith is one of the people’s most important values for the Georgians. Among the Christian communities of the Near East, Georgia is one of the most ancient, for in 327 Christianity was declared to be the official state religion. This church was originallyy an Orthodox Church, later acquired by the Roman Catholics who modified its architecture, closed by the Soviet authorities and then returned to the Orthodox Church in 1989.
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  • IMG 2125 GEORGIA. Khoni. 2007. A group of young refugees walking on a road in a collective center.The unemployment rate among the refugees is very high, the lack of better perspectives for the future has disoriented and demoralized them, who had a per capita income of only 14 lari (7 euros) per month, which is below the minimum poverty level, they risk depression and drug abuse.
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  • IMG 2094 GEORGIA. Kutaisi. 2007. Farmers picking hay up. The houses were built by the Norwegian Refugee Council, without water or gas supply. In 1999 the government inaugurated the “New Approach” policy with the aim of creating conditions for the communities to become self-sufficient, via financial aid for setting up small economic activities, agriculture and livestock rearing. Unfortunately, the economic development of these communities has ground to a halt because of a lack of funds and infrastructures.
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  • IMG 1554 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2007. Young dancer performing at a cultural center, these facilities are run by NGO’s that provide to support cultural and recreationals activities of the community.
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  • IMG 0949 GEORGIA. Tskhneti. 2007.  Young athletes wrestling in a gym, these facilities are run by NGO’s that provide to support cultural and recreationals activities of the community.
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  • IMG_005 GEORGIA. Ergneti. 2009. A georgian house burnt and ransacked by the Russians army and the ossetian militia, in that the Russians called buffer zone, wide around 30 km, during the war of August 2008. The Russians army took over the cities of Poti, Zugdidi and Senaki in western Georgia, Gori in Central Georgia for two weeks, causing the flight of the 80% of the population of the city and the Kodori Gorge in the Upper Abkhazia as well.
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  • IMG 3774 GEORGIA. Ingiri. 2007. A woman in a collective center's courtyard.  Only in 2007 did the government set up an action plan to create conditions for communities to return to normal life. The collective centers, where most refugees live, have become small islands apart from the rest of society, where people have jealously kept their identity and their set of values.<br />
The local population is indifferent and hostile to the fate of the refugees, who are considered as foreigners with special privileges who have come to steal housing and jobs.
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  • IMG 3325 GEORGIA. Zugdidi. 2007. An elderly couple hugging each other in a collective center's flat. Most of these lodgings are not supplied with drinking water, gas and heating. The old people are among the most vulnerable members of society, together with children. Pensions amount to about 12 lari (6 euros) per month, which means they are living below the minimum poverty level.
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  • IMG_021 GEORGIA. Tbilisi. 2009. Collective center. Georgian refugee coming back to his flat. The collective centers are decaying building and don’t have the supply of gas, heating and potable water, every flat can host up to three-four households. The rate of unemployment is very high, after 16 years living in the limbo, the lack of better perspectives for their future has left them bewildered and discouraged. They have a per capita income of only 22 per month, about 11 euro, which is below the minimum poverty level.
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