The babies of 40 vulnerable mothers in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, will receive better care as a result of the Mother&Baby Kits their mothers received this month through a World Vision Gift Catalogue. The gifts consist of essentials such as diapers, baby care essentials, hygiene supplies, washing powders, shampoo, towels and bed linen sets.

'This gift is a huge support for me and my 11 month old baby. I have overcome the most difficult period of my life with World Vision's support – the staff never stop helping me,' said 24-year-old Tamuna.

The Gift Catalogue began in January this year as part of World Vision's Infant House Transformation (IHT) project, aiming to prevent infant abandonment by providing emergency support to vulnerable single mothers and pregnant women to help them cope with the financial pressures that lead them to abandon their infants.

'Our aim is to assist single mothers in meeting the basic needs of their children. In the frame of our project we plan to distribute more gifts to vulnerable mothers to lighten their burden,' said Marina Menteshashvili, IHT project deputy manager/technical advisor.

The Gift Catalogue, circulated by World Vision in the United States, provides donors with the opportunity to assist some of the world's poorest communities make their way out of poverty by donating money for specific purposes/gifts.

The single vulnerable mothers who received the gifts were selected by IHT project staff based on the recommendation of social workers' from the Ministry of Education and Science, with which World Vision closely collaborates.

The IHT project, developed within the framework of the Child Welfare Reform launched by the government in 2004, promotes and facilitates deinstitutionalization and alternatives to residential care. The project is focused on establishing alternative childcare services such as the Mother and Infant Shelter in Makhinjauri, Ajara Region, and transforming two Infant Houses in Tbilisi and Makhinjauri into multi-service centers. To significantly reduce the number of infants entering Infant Houses, the IHT project has put in place a gate keeping system that gives every child the right to an assessment to determine the best environment for the child. The IHT project also supports single mothers through childcare provision and employment services, increasing the effectiveness of Employment Service Centre (ESC) activities in Tbilisi and Makhinjauri.