The company m² Real Estate begins construction of a small group home for the children with special needs under the state care. To celebrate the launch of the construction project, Zaza Sopromadze, the deputy of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Irakli Burdiladze, director general of m² Real Estate, Pier Pherre, UNICEF program manager and Tamar Sirbiladze, head of social development and education unit at USAID laid a symbolic capsule in the construction site.

The construction works are being implemented within the framework of the project Protection of Children with Disabilities carried out by the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs since 2015 under the support of USAID and UNICEF. The project aims to create specialized family type services for children with sever and deep disabilities where they will receive care in a family environment and will be provided with all services necessary for their adequate growth and individual development.

The small group home will be built at Demetre Tavdadebuli street, Didi Digomi, Tbilisi. After completion of the construction and renovation works, seven children with severe form of disability will be moved to live in the house.

"We are honored to be a part of this extremely important project. Creating adapted environment is one of our major directions within corporate social responsibility area. We do believe that there are no limited abilities, there are special needs and we, the private sector, the State and the non-governmental organizations should unite our efforts to meet these needs’’, declared Irakli Burdiladze, director general of m² Real Estate.

"It is a high priority of the Georgian Government to create respectful living conditions for children under the state care, especially, for children with disabilities. We have already opened this type of institution in Kutaisi where several children from Tbilisi Infants’ Home were moved to live in a family environment. This new home in Tbilisi will allow us to provide adequate conditions for the healthcare and development of another flow of children residing in the residential care institution. We do believe the private sector will show more interest in similar initiatives and will provide support to this vulnerable group within their social corporate responsibility “ – declared Zaza Sophromadze, deputy minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia.

"Children with disabilities are the least protected group of population, they do not have access to social services and education; many of these children are still under the state care and live in large scale residential care institutions “, said Pier Pher, UNICEF program manager.

“We are happy to have the support of business sector and particularly, of m2 Real Estate in the development of specialized care services. UNICEF together with US Agency of International Development provides assistance to the Georgian Government in implementing UN Convention on the Rights of Children with Disabilities and in ensuring social inclusion of these children’’

“In March, 2017, USAID, together with the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs contributed to opening of a specialized small group home in Kutaisi and today, we are laying foundation to the second specialized service in Tbilisi. This type of specialized homes will provide opportunities for children with disabilities to develop and be integrated in the society’’, said Tamar Sirbiladze, social development and education project manager of USAID.