The Georgia Self Reliance Fund announces the completion of the Fund's First Grant Competition Apri 2001

The Steering Committee for the Georgia Self Reliance Fund is pleased to announce the completion of the Fund's First Grant Competition. After a thorough and careful analysis of the 267 applications made to the Fund, the Steering Committee has chosen to work with three applicants from among the 29 still under consideration after an initial review. Specifically, the Committee has chosen to work with the Joint Stock Company Orgteknika, NVM Limited, and Otar Khvistani--the authors of proposals 60, 177 and 192 respectively.
Orgteknika is an IDP operated business. NVM is an IDP founded enterprise. Mr. Khvistani is an IDP entrepreneur. Their proposals offer the Fund compelling opportunities to test innovative methods of increasing IDP self reliance, and promoting improvements in IDP living standards. All three proposals aim to move a small number of carefully screened, volunteer beneficiaries from collective centers to their own private accommodations. Each proposal also aim to provide employment opportunities to the participating IDPs.

Specifically, the project suggested in proposal 60 aims to provide IDPs in the Tskhaltubo area of Imereti with prefabricated wooden cottages and employment opportunities in a rehabilitated tea plantation and processing facility. The construction of the wooden cottages will create additional employment opportunities for IDPs. The project suggested in proposal 177 aims to provide IDPs with wooden cottages and access to land in the Kareli district of Shida Kartli. Supplemental incomes shall be derived from a rehabilitated livestock and diary facility. The project suggested in proposal 192, aims to obtain through fair and legal means, unused housing in the Tsalka area of Kvemo-Kartli, for use by IDPs. Employment opportunities will be provided via a rehabilitated livestock and dairy co-operative.

In addressing the issue of housing and voluntary re-accommodation, in different but innovative and sustainable manners, proposals 60, 177 and 192 address one of the principal issues that disadvantage IDPs in Georgia. The need to urgently address this issue is a central tenet of the New Approach to IDP Assistance--a joint effort at policy and program redesign that has been adopted by the Government and members of the international assistance community. The New Approach forms the basis of the Georgia Self Reliance Fund, which is currently supported financially by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United States Agency for International Development and the World Bank.

Importantly, working with the authors of proposals 60, 177 and 192 shall enable the New Approach to begin determining how best to address the housing issue in practical terms. Lessons from these projects will be used as a basis for larger-scale programming, assisting a larger number of IDPs and host communities, if success during the current pilot phase of the New Approach is sufficient to enable a continuation of the effort into a full-scale program.

The Steering Committee wishes to thank IDPs for their continued strong support for the New Approach and the Fund. The Committee also wishes to sincerely thank all 267 applicants who submitted proposals during the Fund's First Grant Competition. The Committee particularly wishes to thank the applicants for their patience during the long, but careful review process.

Parties interested in a detailed description of the review process which was designed to emphasize fairness and ensure zero corruption, may obtain a copy of the "Summary Report on the Review Process for the First GSRF Grant Competition." Copies of this report may be obtained from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) which supports the New Approach and the Fund by acting as Secretariat to both. Alternatively, copies of the report may be downloaded from the Assistance Georgia website at www.assistancegeorgia.org.ge. Please note, this report does not include specific comments on specific proposals or the cause for any rejection.

With the goal of continuing to identify the practices that most usefully and speedily enable the self-reliance of IDPs and improve their living conditions in a sustainable manner, the Steering Committee hopes to hold a Second Grant Competition in June, building on lessons learned from the first. Prior to the launch of a second competition however, the Fund hopes to hold in late May, a workshop with prospective applicants to discuss proposal guidelines, as well as the aims of the New Approach and the Fund.

For more information on the Fund or the New Approach, please contact OCHA Georgia.

UN House, 9 Eristavi Street, Tbilisi. Tel: (99532) 943163 or tel./fax: (99532) 959516, e-mail: unocha@unocha.org.ge