Tbilisi, Georgia - In the last two days, I have traveled from Tbilisi to Gori to Zugdidi to Batumi and back to Tbilisi. This may not mean much to those of you who are not closely acquainted with the geography of Georgia, but to me this meant about 13 hours of car time with meetings in between! It was quite a trip, and I am happy to say that I have now traversed the whole western section of the country in search of new groups for GFC. What impressed me the most is that I was able to meet with groups doing completely different types of work. In Gori, I met with an organization deeply committed to working with children with disabilities; in Zugdidi, with an organization providing free healthcare to internally displaced children; and in Batumi, an organization working on integrating children living in orphanages into mainstream society. Each section of Georgia has its own unique challenges, but in all places groups continue to work with internally displaced children. Georgia’s past history of war has affected every corner of the country and continues to affect the types of services that are needed and provided to children, making the civil society landscape diverse and the opportunities and need to contribute great.

Tbilisi, Georgia - Looking around Tbilisi, I couldn’t help but notice changes that the past year has brought: new construction in the form of a walking bridge, new police stations, and new roads—very big “money” changes. Many people in Georgia expressed to me their concern about the way the government is currently spending money. It is apparent that social services are continually neglected while “beautiful structures” are set up. Tbilisi’s unofficial unemployment rate still sits at around 70 percent, with a high rate of internally displaced persons living in and around the city. While the new construction is beautiful, it makes me wonder about the vulnerable people still being left out and what one can expect to see in Georgia a year from now. I can only hope that these changes will also be accompanied by a greater effort to improve the kinds of services that are offered to the “ordinary” people and their families.

Tbilisi, Georgia - Arriving in Tbilisi at 4:00 AM did not faze me. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face—I was so happy to be arriving back in Georgia, a country that so few people have a chance to visit, but one that I dearly love.

My first meeting was with Tbilisi Youth House Foundation. TYHF won a Sustainability Award from GFC last year, so it was wonderful to be able to go back and visit and to check on how the group is doing. TYHF is thriving, but funding has been difficult. Many aid organizations have left Georgia, and US government funding has diminished in the last year. Still, TYHF is doing its best to provide services to vulnerable children in the form of classes in art, journalism, and foreign languages. I am continually impressed by the staff’s commitment and the love they have for the work that they are doing.

In light of what is a difficult situation for most NGOs in Georgia, TYHF still shines on, a bright light in the lives of so many children and their families.

Budapest, Hungary - I landed in Hungary’s capital on Tuesday afternoon, with visits scheduled to meet with our grantee partners in Budapest and afterwards to check in with UNICEF. Budapest is a vibrant city, but one that poses unique challenges for the children growing up within its limits. The city is divided into 23 districts—all known for different characteristics. Budapest’s 8th district is the city’s poorest and houses many internal and external immigrants and ethnic minorities. GFC is currently supporting two organizations in Hungary, Nap Klub Foundation and Tudor Foundation, and both have programs in the 8th district. My first meeting was with Nap Klub, which GFC has been supporting just since last fall. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to watch the class Nap Klub runs for 6- and 7-year-olds. It is an extracurricular class that children from the neighborhood right around the center attend, and I was fascinated to see the holistic approach of the program. The class taught everything from vocabulary to critical-thinking skills, from art to math, all in one session—and all centered around one theme. This class and the others that Nap Klub runs are really providing extra support—and the opportunity to excel in school through extra practice and attention—for children who would otherwise not receive tutoring because their families cannot afford it. I saw the children’s faces light up as they answered questions and felt their excitement in the activities that were offered to them. Read more

Chisinau, Moldova - From Istanbul, I flew to the tiny country of Moldova and arrived in a blizzard—which, I was assured, was as much of a surprise to everyone else as it was to me. Moldova, Eastern Europe’s poorest country, is bordered by Romania and Ukraine and has an estimated population of between 3.5 and 4 million people. Moldova is new ground for GFC, and because of its current economic situation and demonstrated need, I went there in the hopes of finding new partners to add to GFC’s spring grants docket.

For three days, I traversed snowy roads, journeying 1,300 kilometers around the country to meet with potential groups for GFC funding. I had the opportunity to visit groups in almost every corner of the country, all working on different issues—from providing inclusive education for children who are deaf and blind, to supporting clubs teaching Romany culture to children, to operating a crisis center for children and the elderly. Such diversity! Read more