Georgian Ambassador Konstantine Kavtaradze has a special connection to SOS Children’s Villages and that’s why he chose to help the organization raise awareness of its practical work by hosting a reception at Ottawa’s historic Rideau Club.
SOS Children’s Villages is an international charitable NGO that focuses on caring for abandoned and orphaned children all over the world.
“The president and CEO of SOS Children’s Villages Canada approached me,” the ambassador says. “I genuinely try to do a lot of promotional events on Georgia in Canada, but I also want to help local Canadian organizations.”
The organization was marking its 50th anniversary in Canada, which the ambassador agreed was a reason to celebrate.
His personal connection with the group dates back to his early days with the Georgian foreign ministry, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union.
“Together with colleagues, we started to create new structures and I remember the challenges that we faced at that time with this newly independent state. Between 1991 and 1994 was a difficult period. State institutions were weak. There were refugees, internally displaced people. Among them, many children were forced to leave their homes.”
He was, at the time, responsible for working with international humanitarian organizations.
“We approached different international agencies — the United Nations, the Red Cross, Red Crescent, Save the Children, Oxfam and others,” Kavtaradze explained. “I also got in touch with SOS Children’s Villages International and it was one of the first to respond.”
Soon after, he says, the organization started to build nice houses on the outskirts of Tbilisi to shelter abandoned children. Its goal is always to ensure children have access to essential services such as health care and education and, in cases where there are parents, it ensures that they’re able to find jobs. If parents can’t take care of their children, SOS finds the children a loving home.
“Today SOS Children’s Villages is very active in Georgia,” the ambassador says. “They have centres [for abandoned children.] They’re taking care of 180 children in those centres and they have four SOS youth facilities. They also have a vocational training centre. It is a very solid organization that isn’t just talking about helping, it’s providing practical help.”
Kavtaradze invited representatives from Global Affairs Canada and members of the community to the reception.
“When someone does something good, it’s a necessity to thank them,” he says. “That was the essence of the idea for the reception. I believe that the most important politics are relations between people. This is the biggest thing that any ambassador or embassy can do.”
Thomas Bauer, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages, said he was grateful for the support and honoured to have been hosted by the ambassador.
