Georgia

Despite recent economic growth, Georgia is still facing widespread poverty driven by the political and social consequences of two conflicts (1990s and 2008), precarious food security and high unemployment rates. In recent years, an invasive agricultural pest has further affected and greatly weakened the livelihoods of the rural population with high losses in agricultural outputs. Particularly vulnerable to these challenges are internally displaced persons, ethnic minorities, people living in remote areas, women and youth. 

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The Covid-19 pandemic had a big impact on healthcare and the socioeconomic situation in both Georgia and Armenia, further exposing the poverty, inequalities and social exclusion that affect so many in both populations. In September, conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the NagornoKarabakh territory displaced tens of thousands of people, and the negative socio-economic impact of political and economic instability in Armenia inevitably worsened with the consequences of COVID-19.

Action Against Hunger’s office in Tbilisi deployed emergency teams to collaborate with local partners in Armenia, and an office was reopened in Yerevan, providing emergency assistance. Hygiene, nutrition, and food security services were provided for displaced people and vulnerable host communities. Alongside strict measures decreed by the Georgian authorities to stop the spread of COVID-19, our teams implemented response and prevention activities.

Our response in Georgia and the territory of Abkhazia included support for community-led initiatives helping vulnerable families, and for health and education systems, increasing their capacity to react to immediate needs. Our teams were able to re-engage in water, sanitation, and hygiene activities, and to rehabilitate sanitation facilities in 17 schools and three ‘collective centers’ which are used as accommodation for displaced people.

In Armenia, our team integrated COVID-19 awareness materials into the hygiene and food parcels that were distributed to displaced people. The government did not allow cash interventions, so local partners worked closely with the national and local authorities to deliver in-kind distributions.