Red Cross Blogs

Stilettos and social exclusion in Georgia

By Sarah Oughton
July 17, 2009 at 4:37 pm

So as a seasoned traveller slash humanitarian worker I thought I was well prepared for my recent trip to Georgia, my jabs were all up-to-date and I’d even packed a special tick remover as advised in my pre-trip medical. I’d also been told to tuck my trousers into my socks when walking through fields to avoid those pesky ticks and so I set off for Georgia armed with my sensible clothes – though when I got there I soon realised I wasn’t as well prepared as I thought.

After flying into Tbilisi, we went west to Kutaisi, the second biggest city in Georgia. I was there to make a film about a Red Cross project that is seriously changing the lives of ‘socially excluded’ older people and I was working with Ash Sweeting, the same cameraman I worked with when making films in Sierra Leone.

I didn’t expect to see the blatant poverty of Africa and it’s true that on the surface – especially in Tbilisi with its grand monuments, fountains and expensive shops – life looks pretty good. But actually as you’ll see in the film there’s a whole other story.

We spent five days in Kutaisi hanging out with Clara, Tamila, Lili, Nunu and others – who all know what a struggle life can be for older people in Georgia.

I guess it’s hard for most of us to get our head round what ‘socially excluded’ means. Before my visit I’d read the reports and got the fact that the state pension is not enough to live on and that those without family support are facing a pretty destitute and hopeless end to their lives. But it didn’t really prepare me for meeting Clara face to face.

Clara used to be a dentist and had a pretty good life, but then her son got cancer and Clara ended up selling her house and getting into debt to pay for his treatment, which went on for ten years until he died. She now lives with her elderly sister in a run-down house with just two rooms and they struggle to survive on their pensions.

Throughout the day Clara was pretty distressed – both in telling me her story but equally because she didn’t have any food to offer me – no matter how much I insisted I wasn’t hungry she remained upset. It was my first lesson in Georgian hospitality and explains why so many older people become isolated. Like Clara, they simply stop socialising because they can’t afford to offer their friends the hospitality that is such an important part of their culture.

It could have been a really depressing week, but actually I came away pretty inspired. Yes the reality for many older people is life is a struggle. When I met Clara, she had only just heard about the Red Cross project and hadn’t yet joined. But I spent the rest of the week meeting people like Tamila, who financially is no better off than Clara, and yet Tamila is a very happy lady. I hope the project is having the same effect for Clara.

Anyway, watch the film and see for yourself the difference the Red Cross social centre is making.

P.s. Tip for for the ladies – if you really want to be prepared for a trip to Georgia, ditch the tick remover and pack yourself a pair of cracking heels – Georgian women know how to dress up and I never saw my translator Natia looking anything less than glamorous. Luckily my hosts were gracious enough not to socially exclude me in spite of my shabby appearance.

Images © Ash Sweeting/BRC

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Comments (4) »

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Tags: Georgia, isolation, Kutaisi, older people, social centre, social exclusion, Tbilisi

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