Day Care Centre helps to rehabilitate children through art

Each year, World Vision’s Day Care Crisis  Intervention Centre for children working and living  on the street provides vulnerable children with medical, nutritional and psychological support. The long-term goal of the centre is to help these children turn their lives around and enable them to enter formal education – improving their chances for a better future.

A 2008 study calculated that 1,500 children live on the streets of Georgia’s four major cities.  According to World Vision’s experience, the numbers are significantly higher today, but there is no new official data. As an organization, World Vision is working directly with more than 700 street children.

Children coming to the centre struggle with a range of problems. The children often suffer from psychological issues such as depression and find it difficult to get along with other children.

“The more time they spend here, at the centre, the more they overcome those problems. We eventually see them become calmer and the children learn to interact with their peers in a positive way.." says Centre psychologist Roza Yaradangulieva.

The centre uses activities like drawing and painting to help children express themselves and come to terms with their situation. Most of the children within the centre range from 4 to 18 years of age and come from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds. Many have been through levels of psychological and physical abuse.

Children at the Centre particularly enjoy painting. Expressive color paintings and other works can be seen everywhere: in the rooms, corridors and by the stairs..

13 year old Maka  says that she has never painted or done anything with  plasticine  before  “ I like drawing, doing different things with plasticine, I have made many different paintings for my friends and for exhibitions. It makes me happy"   added Maka.

 “The pictures that these children draw reflect the dreams and aspirations in their hearts,"  said  Centre psychologist. Children in the Centre mainly draw hearts and crosses. 12 year old Dato, who painted a church and a heart on a ball that reflects the universe for him, explains that a heart means love and he draws a heart close to the church because God is love.

Once a week, father David priest at Kldisubani St. George’s Church comes and talks with these children. He talks to them about spiritual and moral issues with the aim to help them build their confidence positively so that they can make better decisions for themselves about their own well-being and happiness.

“The most important thing,  is that children, when starting life on their own and encountering troubles and miseries, know that they are not alone in this world. There is the Church. Working with these children is very difficult, but step by step I see how they change their attitude towards church and each other.” says Father David.

This kind of support at the centre can make a huge difference, with children gaining confidence, becoming healthier – and, crucially, getting the education they will need to fulfill their hopes and dreams.

In 2013 World Vision Georgia   launched three mobile teams and a day care crises intervention centre  in Tbilisi  to address the needs of children working and living on the streets. This unique service gives children living on the streets access to essential services and a safe and caring environment to promote and protect health, education and human rights.   As of now there are 2 crisis intervention centres in Tbilisi and one in Kutaisi, that was  opened in April 2015.

This initiative is funded by the European Union, led by the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs with UNICEF and implemented in cooperation with partners Caritas and Child and Environment.