A Georgian schoolteacher tells her side of the story: help from Fair Trees

Tinatin Machahkalaze (28) is a teacher in a very small school in the remote village of Tlugi in the Caucasian mountains of Georgia.
She has been teaching 6-7 year-old children (equivalent to 1st and 2nd grade) for 5 years now.

“When I first started, there were no doors in the building. Because of noise from outside the class, teaching was quite difficult. Also it was hard to get the classrooms warm enough.”

Tinatin continues: “Doors have been one of our wishes since 1993, “but there has been no response from the governor’s office. We are very happy that Fair Trees could provide doors in our school, as one step in providing decent schooling to the children. I myself have a 2 year-old boy who is going to attend this school. I’m particularly pleased that Fair Trade is providing health insurance for both my child and all the other children in this region.”

Question: What are your primary concerns about your school facilities right now?

Tinatin: “The fence around the schoolyard is in very poor condition so that pigs can get into schoolyard where the children are playing.”

(In rural areas of Georgia, cows and pigs normally roam freely in the villages.)