The Donchenko family, with five children, lives in Kurdglauri village. They are representatives of the Roma community. For several months now, the family has been included in the joint project of "SOS Children's Village of Georgia" and the Kakheti Regional Development Center—"Improved Child Protection Systems in Guria and Kakheti." During the selection process, the project places special emphasis on vulnerable groups in society, including national minorities. The project includes activities aimed at supporting the education, development, and full integration of these groups into society. This contributes to reducing public stigma and discrimination, breaking stereotypes, and promoting the well-being of children and adolescents.

I would like to tell you about Elizaveta Donchenko. Fifteen-year-old Elizaveta studies at Kurdglauri public school. She is a loving, active, and cheerful girl. According to her parents and teachers, Elizaveta is highly motivated toward learning and development. She is a good student and aims to get a good education in the future. She wants to be educated to protect the rights of her community and help other Roma to develop and get an education. Elizaveta and her family always eagerly participate in the various educational activities offered within the project.

Last month, Elizaveta received an interesting offer from Project. Within the framework of the partnership between the Kakheti Regional Development Center and the Civil Society Development Center (CSDC), with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the program "Prevention of the COVID-19 Pandemic by Promoting Hygiene Among Vulnerable Adolescents" is being implemented. The goal of the program is to teach safe hygiene practices and raise awareness among 12-17-year-olds, particularly targeting homeless, neglected, and out-of-school adolescents.

Within this project, 12 adolescents were selected in Kakheti and retrained to continue working with their peers as equal educators. The Kakheti Regional Development Center extended the offer to families in the family strengthening project, including Elizaveta's. The Donchenko family met this initiative with great interest and joy. Elizaveta immediately entered the competition and was selected among the 12 teenagers. This was her first time participating in such an initiative. She particularly highlights the three-day training conducted as part of the project, held in Daba Tsem, as one of her most important and first independent experiences.

The retrained adolescents will actively continue to work on the annual project. This is an extraordinary opportunity, especially for groups representing national minorities, as it provides a chance for greater development, education, and integration into society, positively impacting the personal growth of adolescents.

I can confidently say that this was an unprecedented case where a young person from the Roma community fully participated in an educational field trip and will continue their educational activities with Georgian and non-Georgian peers. Elizaveta shares, "I am proud because my daughter, like a Georgian child, will conduct trainings for other children. She will gain valuable knowledge, which will be very useful in the future," says Nina Donchenko.