- joking or not little Lizi says as soon as I enter. “So many sweets and cookies on it! I can look at it for hours! Most of all I like that chocolate, especially when the bread is not good.” And she points her finger to the tablecloth. This joke does make me really uncomfortable...

 What else do you like to look at, besides the tablecloth? 

 Lizi (9-year-old): What can I look at here? I am joking, ma’am! You can't take a joke? - and she gives me a wonderful smile of a 9-year-old child. – Let me better show you our yard! Be careful, - she raises her finger up, - There is barbed wire here, don’t hurt yourself cos my legs are all in scratches. Look!

 My mom says that beyond the wire there are people living too, and there are many children there. And everything is beautiful. I haven’t seen it. I’ve been to the city several times, you know how many things are there? Have you seen big buses? And many cars, and many shops! They are selling stuff all around. And the streets are large.

 - To which city have you been? Was it Tbilisi?

 Lizi (9-year-old): Tbilisi is the capital of our country, but we haven’t been there. We just dream of going there! Mommy says there is a zoo there! With a huge white elephant and even a bear... I just can’t imagine it, how what does it look like... Mom says there are many animals living there. They live in cages. Do you know? But how can the elephant live in a cage? Can you believe that? Have you been to the zoo? 

 -Yes, and hopefully you will see it too. Tamara, is it true that the children have been to the city several times?

 Tamara: Yes, unfortunately it is true. We will tell you some more stories, you will not believe. We took the children to Gori on David’s birthday. We just walked in the streets and bought one Snickers for the three of them, that’s all! Children asked me to buy a piece of cake, but we could not, there would not be enough money for the way back. Do you believe we have no electricity? We have been living without electricity for 3 years! As soon as it gets dark we light a kerosene lamp or candles. Every day just the same. 

 The children are afraid of darkness, David is terrified of darkness and can just suffocate if the candle goes out, and there is no one around. We spend 200 GEL for candles every month, can you believe that? 

 - What is the place where you live? It seems to be a scary place, with barbed wire all around - it reminds me of war movies.

 Tamara: It is scary. There is a military unit not far from here. In communist time geologists used to live in the building where we are now. My mother-in-law used to work with them and when they left she moved in here. It was 33 years ago. Nothing has changed since that time. Everything is getting collapsed and rotten.

As I said before, the area is fenced with barbed wire, the kids often get scratched, it was right today, when Lizi got her leg hurt, and I have no pain-killers to help her. I haven’t got even a bandage or iodine - can you call it life? 

 Leave alone the iodine, sometimes I have no water at home. I have to walk one kilometer to bring some water - it does not matter what the weather is like. I carry as much as I can. Sometimes my children help me, or if someone comes by car I make a big water reserve to wash the children and tidy up the house. Sometimes, maybe a couple of times per month, we go to our friends’ place to take a shower. It is a nightmare, not a life! 

 - Tell me about your family. 

 Tamara: My husband Giorgi is 38 years old. He has some health issues and hard physical work is contraindicated for him. But what else can we do, when there is nothing to eat at home? Sometimes he works in the hayfield or tidies someone’s yards. But it is not enough. Sometimes, - today for instance, - we have only bread. I am just waiting for my husband, maybe he will be lucky today and will bring some buckwheat or something else. 

 - What is your common diet? 

 Tamara: Do you know what instant soups are? I use one pack to make a soup for the whole family, adding one potato, some pasta, and plenty of water. It has its flavor, so it’ seems you’re eating real food. But mostly we have pasta. Today, however, there is only bread - that’s all. Anything you can spread on it, would it be butter or jam, is a kind of luxury for us. Look at Nino, she eats yesterday’s bread and enjoys it. Poor baby! 

Lizi (9-year-old): Do you want me to teach you how to make a cake out of bread? If you have some butter and sugar at home, just spread the butter on the bread and sprinkle some sugar on the top - it’s so tasty!

 - Do you know how real cakes are made? 

Lizi (9-year-old): Once on my birthday my mother brought me a cake! A real one! My birthday is on 29th of March. It was a real fest! Imagine, a birthday cake! Unfortunately Datuna has never had any cake. He is so sorry! There are only candles and no cake. 

 - Datuna, what would you like to have besides the cake? 

 David (6-year-old): I am dreaming about a car with a remote control. I want it so much! Nothing else! If I had such a car, I would never take Lizi’s toy! She has one favorite toy - an elephant! Sometimes when I want to play too, I just take it. Although she seems to be a big girl, she immediately starts crying.

 - Do you offend your sister? 

 David (6-year-old): What else can I do? There is nobody else to offend, Nino is too little, so I can’t. There are no children around! Oh, I know what else I want! Spiderman’s costume! Then I will never take Lizi’s elephant! 

 - Lizi, what are you dreaming about?

 Lizi (9-year-old): I am dreaming about a bicycle! And about footwear. As Datuna said, there are no children here, and I can only see them at school. The school is far away. I need more than one hour to walk there. When the weather is good, I can go to school, because my shoes do not get wet. But when it rains, I can’t. I can’t go to school barefoot. I also like drawing. But I only have a black pencil, so my drawings aren’t colorful. Both my life and my drawings are gray. 

David (6-year-old): Please, promise me that you will come to visit us together with your children! I love children so much! Very much! 

Tamara: They are very kind, my poor babies. They haven’t seen anything good in their life, and I prefer not taking them anywhere if it is not absolutely necessary. They are frustrated afterwards. They see that other children have toys, other girls have beautiful dresses, they have food, good food. I don’t want my children to behave like savages, to get shocked of everything. Nino is still so little. But our situation makes her nervous too. She can’t sleep without sedatives.

 - Tamara, you can address our readers. Be sure that after this interview, your family will become dear and close to all Georgians. 

Tamara: Right this was the reason why I addressed your Fund, I want to let many people know about us. I have addressed you to show everybody that despite of the loud electoral promises there are still children, who have no idea how it feels when you have water and electricity at home! I want everybody to know, that my children have not had normal food for a long time. They have never tasted sweets. 

 --- 

 There was one more story full of pain and despair. There are a few days left till the elections. The candidates blame each other, they make promises, but will any of them visit this miserable family? Who will take care of them? Sooner or later... That is the question.

 The family needs absolutely everything: food, hygienic items, clothes and footwear, but most of all they need electricity and water! Explain to me, please, how one can live without electricity in the 21st century? 

 Hopefully, this story will get to the right people! Maybe someone will tell them “let there be light!”

 Because every time you have a chance to help someone, just help and be happy that the Lord has made someone’s prayer come true with your help. 

Let’s show our mercy and make the children believe that miracles happen! They sincerely believe in our kindness. Do not let our little compatriots down. Show them what generous people live in Georgia

You can visit this family at the address: Gori, 3 Tskhinvali Highway. They will be very happy. They love it when guests come.

Or call Tamara and support her with kind words, tell her she is not alone. Tamara’s phone: 568 73 45 86

Please repost our publication. Let you friends know about the Kirtadze family! It’s extremely important!

God gives us chances to care about people who are unable to take care of themselves. Those poor people are sent to us by heaven so that we could prove not by words, but in deeds that we trust in God!

Friends, there is one more request - if you know about the misfortune of a neighbor or friend do a godly deed, drop us an email at: office-fsp@fsp.ge

Our Fund’s accounts are:

#GE15TB7194336080100003

#GE42LB0115113036665000

#GE64BG0000000470458000

(purpose: Tamara Kirtadze)

You can also transfer money from our website.

It is also possible to transfer money from ОРРА, TBCpay and ExpressPay terminals. (You can read more about rights and responsibilities of the Fund following the link https://goo.gl/GY2Gus )

We have already helped many disadvantaged people! Let’s support Tamara and her wonderful children! And who knows, maybe someday we ourselves will need the help of strangers!

One call saves life - 0901200270