Today there are ten inhabitants in a single mothers’ shelter located on Nitsubidze Plateau, Tbilisi. They share rooms with other women and children. Some children are newly born; others are from one to six years of age. The women come from different places, they don’t know one another and have never met before but there is something common for all of them – it’s poverty and distress. Nevertheless, they all are optimistic about their future. But almost all of them refused to give an interview to out correspondent. They were extremely reluctant to talk about their problems and wanted to be left alone. Finally one of them, a mother of a four-month baby agreed to answer the correspondent’s questions. Her name is Tamuna.
Tamuna: I come from Zugdidi. I came to Tbilisi and was staying with my relatives. - You came to study? - No, just to visit. Then I found a job and met a young man. We started dating… - How did you meet him? - We met while riding a taxi mini-bus. I was on the phone with my Mom and gave her my cell phone number. He was sitting next to me and memorized the number. Then he often called me. Initially we only talked over the phone. Then we had our first date on my birthday. That’s how our relationship started. Then I went back to Zugdidi…. - When you realized that you were pregnant did you tell him about that? - First I was not aware of my pregnancy… I was already on the fourth month when I realized it. I was still in Zugdidi. When my belly started getting visible my Mom sent me back to Tbilisi. She wanted me to have an abortion, but the doctor said it was too late. He didn’t want to take chances… That’s how I had to give birth to my son - Did anybody else in your family know about your pregnancy? - No, only my Mom and another relative, who chanced upon me in the street. My Father and my brother are still unaware that I have got a son. - Why don’t you tell them? - My Mom doesn’t want me to. She’s afraid I’ll be expelled from the family. She is going to tell them in due course. - And doest the baby’s father know that he’s got a son? - First I didn’t tell him either. I was afraid he’d condemn me, but when I was on the sixth month he chanced on me in the street. - Did your relationship last throughout all those months? - Yes, of course. Initially my belly was not visible and he was not aware of my pregnancy. - How did he react when you broke the news? - Before he got aware of it I had been staying with my neighbor. I had neither money nor my own place to stay in. When he learned that he gave me some money. - Are you still in touch with him? - No, I am not. A friend of him came over and told me that the guy couldn’t call me because of the specificity of his job. He said my boy-friend would come around and talk to me… You know what? He just doesn’t want to recognize our baby. He doesn’t want his family and relations to know about it. - How old is he? - He’s 26. - Tamuna, how did you get to this shelter? - I didn’t have any money to pay the rent. My baby and I were homeless. - Couldn’t your Mom have sent you some money? - I think she would have if she had any. - But you can stay in the shelter for three months only. When are you going to go in three months? - I don’t know yet. I can’t go back home. My relatives think I am staying with my aunt. My Mom has promised to send me some money. I don’t know what I will do…
Another respondent, Janna Manukyan, is 39. She’s got a seven-month son. That’s what she says: - I was living in a rented apartment. My baby’s father lives in Russia. - How did you meet him? - It was in Rustavi. We were working in the same workshop. He had taken a liking to me and we started to date. We’d been dating for two years and everybody was aware of our relationship. - What was his reaction like when you told him you were expecting a baby? - He gave me 100 Laris and wanted me to have an abortion. He didn’t want a baby, but he wanted to keep on our relationship. - Did you agree? - You know what? I had a good life – I had a job, I had enough money and I had plans for my future. Everybody wants to be a success in this life, and a baby could become a problem. So I went to the doctor to have an abortion, but she said it was too late… - Do your parents know that you are staying in a shelter? - My father is dead. My Mother and my brother live in a village in Russia. Initially I didn’t tell them anything. Then I did. What could they say or do? – Just nothing… - Didn’t they support you? - They couldn’t. They themselves can barely make both ends meet. They used to send me some money before, but they are not able to do so any more. - How did you get to the shelter? - I couldn’t afford the rent and my landlord chucked me out in the street. I had no money whatsoever and I had no place to go… Then my friend George gave me refuge. But you can’t stay at somebody’s place forever… So I came here… - Do you know your ex- boy-friend’s whereabouts? Are you two in contact? - Before we split he’d said he loved me and if I got rid of the baby he would stay with me even in case he got married to someone else. When I was on the fourth month I wanted to get back to him but he had already been married and his wife couldn’t conceive. His aunt knows about our baby but she refuses to help me… - What are you going to do after you leave the shelter? - I am staying here till the end of this month. Then I don’t know… But I am not scared… I’ve been working all my life… I am going to find a job and earn my living. But I don’t know what to do with my baby. Here they tell me that I can leave him in the shelter and they will take care of him. But I don’t want to do so! I hope to get some welfare. One of my girl-friends is married to a public prosecutor. So she has given me an advice to sue my ex- boy-friend and demand alimony.
Having interviewed the shelter inhabitants I interviewed Irina Bukuridze, Director of Single mothers’ shelter. Irina Bukuridze: Initially the shelter was functioning in the framework of a pilot project, but it’s been three years now since the Government started to finance the shelter, which means that it has become aware of its importance and benefit. - Can any citizen find refuge in the shelter? - We take socially vulnerable, single pregnant women and those who wish to leave their children here. We also take women from Maternity hospitals, those who wish to abandon their babies because they have no place to go. They are brought here by social workers. - But women can stay here only for three months… - Yes, that’s right. But during those three month social workers are trying to find a job and accommodation for them. We had a case when a single mother was allowed to stay here for six months. The woman’s boy-friend was a convict, his family didn’t want to help the women and she had no home. Social workers couldn’t solve her problem within three months, so we decided to take care of her for another three months. - You also have another service – Children’s home… - Yes, actually we have two services: Children’s home for disabled children and a shelter for mother and children from 0 to 6 years old. There are 121 children in the children’s home and 10 women and 11 children in the shelter. - Were there any cases when mothers left their children and went away? - Yes, we’ve had several of such cases in past two years.
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