From 2011 to the present, the Natakhtari Fund, through the professional support of the local non-governmental organization Association Our Home-Georgia, has helped up to 700 young people with 1,092,593 GEL. As a result, hundreds of young people without parental care have started to live independently and many are building successful careers. All of this is provided by the 3 main priorities of the Natakhtari Fund: education, employment and psychological support.
For 12 years, the Natakhtari Fund has allocated resources to the needs relevant to each beneficiary. During this time, with the help of the fund:
- 72 young people have received higher education or are currently studying in higher education institutions.
- 355 beneficiaries received vocational education.
- More than 235 young people learned the craft and went through an internship with a master of different directions.
- 690 beneficiaries received individual services from a psychologist.
According to today’s data, 90% of the young participants in the project are employed, with over 70% holding stable jobs.
With the initiative of the Natakhtari Fund and the Association Our Home-Georgia, a social program for supporting young people who have left the state care system was established in 2018 in the Rustavi Municipality City Hall and is still functioning. Within this program, beneficiaries were provided with 1200 GEL per year, which they could use for higher education, transportation costs, and purchasing household items. In the last 6 years, the program has become quite demanding, and the budget has gradually increased. Starting in January 2025, each young person will receive 2000 GEL instead of 1200 GEL. In addition, the education and transportation costs of students who have left the state care system will be covered by other relevant programs. The beneficiaries of the program will be able to use the 2000 GEL allocated by the social support program to pay rent and/or purchase household items.
The 2023 Needs, Resources, and Report of the Natakhtari Fund indicate the following:
In 2023, a total of 30 young people received necessary services. All participants benefited from intensive psychological counseling, with 6 undergoing a full course of psychotherapy. Last year, 8 young people received scholarships to support their independent living. 1 individual received financial assistance to purchase household appliances. 2 others were provided with medicines for chronic illnesses and also underwent medical diagnosis and necessary treatment. 4 entrants received professional consultation, and the service provider covered the preparation costs. 15 young people were included in the SOS Children’s Villages Georgia Aflatoun program, which prepares youth for independent living, improves life skills, and enhances employability.
In the end, as a result of the activities implemented by the Natakhtari Fund, 30 young people received services in 2023, with 25 of them being employed. In addition, 15 beneficiaries have already been able to start living independently with the help of the fund.
The Natakhtari Fund, founded in 2011, aims to prepare youth without parental care for independent living by providing education and employment assistance. The project is carried out in collaboration with an experienced non-governmental organization, Our Home – Georgia. In the process of preparing young people for an independent life, it is important to provide them with psychological services: psychological counseling, psychodiagnostics, and, if necessary, psychotherapy. For each young person, the resources are allocated according to their individual needs. Within the framework of the project, the types of assistance to the beneficiaries are the provision of housing, support for receiving professional or higher education, coverage of utility costs, payment of travel expenses, purchase of textbooks and daily household items, financing of medical research and treatment, purchase of medicines, etc.
