Natia Goksadze Natia began school in 2006 when she left the Etseri orphanage, and is enrolled in a Pharmacy program in Samtredia. She is considered by her teachers to be an exceptional student, at the top of her class, and certain to be in great demand when she graduates. Natia and her younger sister Nino were "social orphans," children with some family, but of a family that couldn't support them. Natia and Nino have lived this last year with their grandmother and their little brother, and survived on the grandmother's pension of $21 per month, and Natia's stipend from Ga2Ge. The photo shows Natia on the right, with her siblings in front of grandmother's house. Natia married during the summer of 2007, and continued her education, graduating in Spring 2008.

Bachuki and Katia Parulave Bachuki entered the Diversified Professional School of the Samtredia District in a course of Auto Mechanics, in July, 2006, with Georgia to Georgia scholarship assistance. He had a job working as a mechanic in a railroad shop near where he lives, managed to do well school at the same time, and was married to fellow Etseri Orphanage alumnus and Ga2Ge scholarship student... ...Katia Parulave who studied in Samtredia for two years. Katia studied Pharmacy, graduating in 2008, and her teachers tell us she was an able student and is pretty much assured of a job.

Nino Goksadze Nino, younger sister of Natia, moved out of the Etseri orphanage in summer, 2007, and wanted to become a hairdresser. In Georgia and most other countries in the region, this is a highly respected profession that is learned mainly by paying a private tutor for an apprenticeship. She is shown here between Chuck Lampman and Cecil Fike of Ga2Ge, with her instructor and a customer. Nino finished her apprenticeship in the winter of 2007/8.

Mary Gegeshidze Mary is began her 4th year and final year at the Georgia Railway Institute, studying networking in the Fall of 2007, and graduated Spring 2008. This is equivalent to a university degree. Her mother has been unable to work for the last few years, and lives on a small government pension; the money to finish Mary's education had run out. Her father was killed in the civil war. We visited her home, and the living conditions indicate that she was indeed in need of financial assistance.

Salome Adeishvili Salome was a very bright sixteen-year old who speaks excellent English, and who had been accepted into the law school at the University of Tbilisi with a 50% government scholarship. Her current need was to get her through the 2007/2008 school year. She confidently said she will not require assistance beyond that, as she intends to make good enough grades that she’ll get a 100% scholarship next year. Salome’s mother is an attorney, but is disabled and unable to work; her father survived fighting in the civil war, but was killed in an auto accident seven years ago.