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Tbilisi, Georgia — Updated August 21, 2008 — This week, IRD went with the UN on a first responder inter-agency fact-finding mission in Gori, a town about 50km outside of Tbilisi that has been severely affected by the Russian occupation. Initial findings still showed obstacles to humanitarian aid trying to reach IDPs in the region. Watch the Reuters Television report on the difficulty of getting aid to the people of Georgia, featuring IRD Director of Health and native of Zugdidi, Georgia Dr. Lali Chania.

In response to the current humanitarian crisis, IRD shipped more than $1.2 million in humanitarian aid within the first week: $400,000 in antibiotics to be delivered to IDPs in Tbilisi, and an additional container of more than $800,000 medical equipment and supplies, currently being held at port in Poti but soon to be released.

Your donation will help us bring emergency relief to the victims of this conflict, so often women and children. It is important to remember that even the smallest donation can make a difference for the victims. Thanks for your compassion.

IRD is acting as the lead agency on behalf of UNICEF for water and sanitation assessments and a partner agency on behalf of USAID for health assessments of the collective centres that house the estimated 95,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Tbilisi. IRD is also actively participating with the UN Coordination Management Team’s emergency relief efforts in Georgia as members of the shelter/ non-food items, health and water and sanitation working groups. On Thursday, an engineering team was sent out from headquarters to assist with assessments, and Tbilisi staff is relying on staff in Zugdidi for regular reports on conditions.

The government of Georgia has been very specific about what emergency items are needed, particularly:

• - pharmaceuticals
• - medical equipment and supplies
• - clothes
• - food, particularly baby food
• - hygiene kits
• - tents
• - bedding
• IRD welcomes inquiries about material donations, and is currently coordinating with both the government of Georgia and the U.S. Department of State material shipments.
  
  Since 1999, IRD has been implementing the Emergency Medical Commodities Distribution project funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe/Eurasia. The project includes the distribution of essential medical and non-medical supplies to 140,000 Internally Displaced Persons and 350,000 of the most vulnerable in Western Georgia; training health care professionals on appropriate drug use; and improving inventory/stock management and distribution systems. To date, IRD has delivered over $50 million in medical supplies and non-medical commodities to over 500,000 beneficiaries in the country through the EMCD program. IRD has also been implementing agriculture and infrastructure programs since 2005.
• IRD has temporarily suspended health and agriculture activities in order to focus on relief efforts and avoid endangering staff.