Just look at these poor brothers. There is so much sadness in their kind eyes… At first, they were shy when they saw a stranger—the Fund’s correspondent. But then, perhaps, their little hearts sensed that this “strange lady” had come to tell their story to all of Georgia.

And so, every day in the Merabishvili family begins and ends the same way. For “lunch,” there is only bread and tea. And sometimes… juice. That happens when their father’s “” daily income is high and reaches 15 GEL. That’s about five dollars. Imagine, my friends, a man who carries heavy sacks all day just to earn five dollars—enough to bring home bread for his children, half a kilo of pasta, and, on rare occasions, some juice or a cheap candy to make them smile.

Instead of porridge, this poor father gives his hungry child tea. At 40 years old, this young man is broken inside. He has already undergone two surgeries on his leg due to blood clots. He still needs medicine and medical care, but this heroic father cannot afford to spend a single lari on himself. Every last coin goes toward diapers for two-year-old David.

The children, who have been hungry all day, are eating a piece of bread before bed. Well, calling it “eating” is an overstatement. And you can’t call it food. The children are struggling to take a bite of this stale bread. 6-year-old Emily and 5-year-old Elena are from a large, needy family. You only need to look into their eyes once, and you’ll immediately see that all they get from the state is formal help that doesn’t even provide for a basic standard of living. Emily and Elena caught colds while bathing in this Soviet-era tub during the freezing winter. They have a cough and a high fever. The children don’t even have a single pair of warm clothes. In February, they’re wearing these thin t-shirts. Oh my God, this is horrifying!