American Friends of . . . Erekle and Nana

“Our names are Nana and Erekle. We are both first-year students at the Institute of Ecology and Decorative Gardening in Tbilisi, and are studying to become landscaper designers, a new profession in Georgia. We are sure that this will lead to our becoming employed.” 

Nana is 18 years old and is sitting in landscape design class with her fellow students. She is from a poor family who lives in Tbilisi. Erekle is 17 years old and is from a poor family with many children who live in a mountain village in the Tusheti Region. He is able to attend the Institute because it is free.

Erekle and Nana (L to R) during classes at the Institute Photographer: Avtandil Chachibaia

The Institute for Ecology and Decorative Gardening was founded two years ago by the Patriarch of Georgia in order to give young people (18-35 years old) who are unemployed employable skills in landscaping. He knew that there is a great need for this specialty in both government and the private sector.

The Institute is the first one in Georgia to train professionals in landscaping and 100 young people are attending the Institute tuition free for three years. Very few young people in Georgia would be able to pay to attend this school. Mother Tekle is the Vice Director of the Institute. The Institute was supposed to have 50 students but 100 passed the entrance exams and the Patriarch then personally interviewed each applicant. He decided to have 100 students at the Institute. AFG has long supported Mother Tekle’s Ecology Summer School.

AFG has given the Institute two grants so far – one for the purchase of a computer, projector, scanner and printer and another to send six of the best students to study in Poland last summer at the Center for Planning of Gardens in Voitek Graphte.

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