The FINANCIAL — TBC Fund was founded on August 13, 2008. The main purpose of establishing the TBC Fund was to support the victims of Russia’s aggression last August. The first donation was made by TBC Bank itself – GEL 5 million. This initiative was encouraged by physical as well as legal entities and in total the fund’s amount reached GEL 7,500,000.
These are the donor companies who made the biggest donations to the fund:
• TBC Bank
• Bagrationi 1882
• Batumi Marine Port
• Batumi Oil Terminal
• International Container Terminal of Batumi
• Barwill Georgia
• Mina
• Agroinvest
• Tsavkisi Valley
• Wissol Petroleum
There were many other companies and individuals who contributed to the fund.
“TBC Banks wants to express gratitude to all contributors for each single GEL that they donated because they contributed to the overall charity carried out by the bank.”
We are still working with potential donors. The fund managed to raise money and organize fundraising actions to help victims of this conflict. For instance, the famous international Charity Fund Iavnana, which is run by Paata Burchuladze, initiated a classic music concert to fundraise for this cause. Donations received helped the fund to buy 5 residential apartments for families with many children who were left homeless due to the recent conflict. Some of the vulnerable children were appointed with guardians while many others received one-off assistance.
The first stage of the emergency humanitarian aid provided by the Fund was the provision of vital necessities and minimal living conditions for IDP families who have newborn babies, breast-feeding mothers or pregnant women. At the same time, the fund tries to identify other basic needs and thus plan respective projects. To fulfill these objectives, the Fund is closely cooperating with other governmental and non-governmental organizations working with IDPs. The Fund also does its best to identify and analyze the problems missed out in the current or planned projects in order to design long-term and more complex projects.
At the given stage, the Fund is working on three major long-term projects:
Building a school for IDPs living in Tserovani village
The budget is equivalent to USD 2,400,000 in the national currency. The building will be finished by September 2006. It will be 6,000 sq.m. projected for 2,000 children.
Project of long-term guardianship (until they become 18) for two children with physical injuries due to military actions in the August conflict
Total budget – GEL 80,000 which includes medical treatment, monthly allowance and bank deposit for higher education.
Project to help pregnant refugees and newborn babies
The total budget for this is GEL 1,500,000. We have 1,200 women registered in the project. They will get a monthly allowance during the period of their pregnancy and after childbirth (for the first year of the child’s life), plus one-off assistance when they deliver the child.
The presentation of this new and large social programme was held together with the opening of a new TBC bank branch in the Mtatsminda district. The new project was solemnly presented by the First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Elisabeth Roeloffs.
“The project to help refugee pregnant women and newborn babies is one of the most important components of the TBC Fund. We have allocated GEL 1,500,000 specifically for this project which considers the provision of assistance for all refugee pregnant women and newborn babies. We will appoint 1-year guardianship for their babies,” declared Mamuka Khazaradze, Chairman of the TBC Board of Supervisors.
The number of refugee women is 1,200. They have been registered at various TBC Bank branches. After completing the registration process, special plastic cards were issued where their monthly allowance will be transferred to.
Programme beneficiaries also attended the presentation, i.e. about 15 ladies and a few new-born babies. They were handed plastic cards and guidebooks published by the First Lady of Georgia for young mothers.
As for the form of assistance: TBC Fund will allocate monthly allowances for pregnant women. Financial support will be provided for 1 year after the child’s birth. Each family will get assistance for an average of 15 months.
Moreover, one-off assistance will be provided for each newborn baby to buy some essential things for babies. TBC Fund will also enable mothers to buy personal hygienic products as well as all things necessary for the baby.
This is one of the most important projects of TBC Fund which corresponds to its overall objective, i.e. provision of care for the children harmed by the August conflict.
“TBC Fund aims at implementing long-term projects for refugee children. 4 months have passed since establishing the fund and dozens of other companies and hundreds of individual people have added donations to the initial 5 million. We have managed to collect more than GEL 7,5 million in total. Apart from TBC Bank, we have many other donors: Bagrationi 1882; Elise Group; Batumi Oil Terminal; Barwill Georgia; Wissol petroleum; and many others. We are very thankful to all of them,” said Nino Darchiashvili, Executive Director of TBC Fund.
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