“When the ambulance car is late in the village, I can help people in time and maybe even save their lives,” shared with us Nana Guledani, who is learning how to provide first aid to empower her community. In the framework of the paid internship program, Nana, aged 26, is an employee of the Red Cross.
One day, when Nana accompanied her three young kids to school and kindergarten, she made up her mind to use her free time fruitfully for self-development. Involved in domestic affairs and taking care of children, she had neither obtained higher education nor gained any employment experience. This is how she found herself in the “Young Pedagogues Union”, which, within the framework of the LINKS project, offered the local residents the opportunity to get a job and master a new profession. The LINKS project is implemented by the Open Society Georgia Foundation and the United Nations Association of Georgia with funding provided by the European Union.
Focused on learning, Nana attended a computer skills training course with the motive to share the knowledge obtained with the residents of the village. She did not have a computer and that`s why she memorized the lectures based on handwritten notes. However, after successful participation, she soon found herself in the Red Cross, where she started to learn how to manage potential threats to human health in different environments, help elderly people to cope with daily challenges, and has been actively involved in charity events and projects. Nana also received a laptop as a gift from the Open Society Georgia Foundation so that she has more support in her future studies and employment.
“First aid is that kind of knowledge that will be useful to everyone, including in our village, Kvenobani, where the ambulance is often late.”
“The kids are glad that I work, and I am happy that I can teach them something new. To a certain extent, I set an example for them to learn and be happy with the work they will do to support other people.”