Public sector staff donate to local public charity

Georgia’s Government is launching the nation’s first charity fund that will be financed through voluntary donations from public sector employees to help children and adult with health problems.

To ease the hardships of ill patients under the age of 18, a large proportion of public employees voluntarily decided to regularly donate to the newly established Solidarity Fund.

The Solidarity Fund was created following an initiative of the Prime Minister, which aimed to allow the public and private sector to collaborate to mobilise financial resources and direct them towards priority social needs.

Initially the fund will focus on assisting cancer patients and funding expensive medical treatment for children.

Government Administration deputy head Nino Kobakhidze believed the local business sector would also contribute to the Fund. The additional donations would allow the service to become available to the adult population and create suitable infrastructure for people with disabilities.

"[We] expect more than 400,000 GEL to be donated to the Fund each month, which will be enough to solve the problems associated with more than 280 onco-hematological (blood and cancer) patients under the age of 18 as well as to fund the expensive treatment of children abroad,” Kobakhidze said.

Kobakhidze emphasized additional financial aid was essential and despite the state budget for health and social sectors being increased this year, there was still a lack of adequate funds.

The Solidarity Fund project will be developed based on international experience including in Germany and Switzerland and local specifics.

Kobakhidze believed this kind of Fund had proven to be an effective example how the country could contribute to improving the lives of ill children and their families.

The Fund will be chaired by PM Garibashvili and the group will be comprised of the Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Ministry of Justice deputies, Ministry of Finance deputies and Economy Ministry deputies, as well as international and local organisations including the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Georgia, World Bank and embassies.

Kobakhidze pledged the system would be transparent and flexible.

Later this month the Government Administration will hold a presentation outlining the Solidarity Fund to public agencies about describe how people can voluntarily get involved in the initiative.