Georgia: Perevi villagers leave home in search of work and better life

The village of Perevi in Georgia, which was quitted by Russian troops, faces typical problems of many villages of this country, located in deep province. Young people leave it in search of employment; the school is in deplorable condition; and the doctor serves several surrounding villages.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it by residents of Perevi and representatives of local authorities.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Russia made a decision to withdraw its frontier troops stationed in Perevi on October 14, 2010, by the outcomes of the 13th round of Geneva Talks. The co-chair at the Geneva Talks from South Ossetia did not approve this Russia's decision, while co-chairs of other parties supported it. Georgian authorities also welcomed the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Perevi.

Nodar Abzhandadze, chairman of the local government of the Sachkher municipality, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Perevi has a secondary school with 57 pupils. Education is run in the Georgian language; children also learn English and Russian as foreign languages. The school is in miserable condition and requires major repairs. Already this year it is planned to repair it.

Mr Abzhandadze said that the village has a medical centre equipped with first-aid medical equipment. The village doctor – a therapist – is serving six villages, including the Ossetian villages of Sinaguri and Kardzmani. If necessary, the doctor moves to Kardzmani, where the Ossetian party had built an ambulance, but they have no doctor. But mostly patients come to the Perevi centre by themselves.

Mamuka Areshidze, an expert on the Caucasus, said that he had recently learned that the Georgian Ministry of Public Health stopped paying the salary of 200 laris (112 US dollars) to the doctor of Perevi. Now, according to Areshidze, the doctor receives money from the Russian billionaire and philanthropist of Georgian origin Bidzina Ivanishvili – he comes from the Sachkher District and often arrives in his homeland.

Mr Areshidze is unaware about the reason why the Ministry of Public Health of Georgia had ceased to pay salary to the village doctor. According to his version, this year Mr Ivanishvili promised to repair the school, which is in poor condition, up to European standards.

The local administration of the Sachkher district refused to officially deny or confirm this information.

"The village of Kardzmani, Dzhava District of South Ossetia, is populated by the absolute majority ethnic Georgians; they have Georgian passports. So far, they have no problems with crossing the actual border passing across the bridge over the Perevi River. The same applies to passage of Perevi residents in the reverse direction – to South Ossetia," said Nodar Abzhandadze.

According to his story, the village has four shops and kiosks with mixed assortment of goods, mainly brought from Georgian villages. Perevi, as Abzhandadze argues, has no bakery, as every family bakes its own bread at home. Residents are engaged in cattle breeding, cultivation of vegetables and maize.

Perevi residents are provided with telephone communication; all the existing mobile phone companies are normally available there; problems with communication may appear only deep in the forests or in very remote localities. There are just minor problems with electricity. The village is covered only by central Georgian TV Channels; some residents have installed satellite dishes for themselves.

Giorgi Tsertsvadze, 65, a resident of Perevi, states that villagers live in poverty; therefore, about one-third of the population – capable persons – is employed in central cities of Georgia or abroad.

"The vast majority of villagers are engaged in their household work, because they have no official jobs. The village is now inhabited mainly by elderly people, women and children," Mr Tsertsvadze complained.

He assured that the village has no nationality-based problems. "We have always lived side by side with Ossetians. Common people have nothing to divide; and now too we have little animosity between us. Of course, not without problems – every family has bad and good members. But you won't take your land anywhere – the God ordered us to live together," the old man summed up.

He also added that since the start of 2011, Perevi saw the first snowfall. Bad weather and colds hold here usually till the end of May. The Sachkher District is rich in deciduous forests; and residents heat their homes with wood. Every family can by a coupon allowing them to cut 15 cubic meters of wood for heating. The cost of a permits for felling one cubic meter of wood is from 3 to 5 laris (1.8 -2.7 US dollars).