“Can only a human being be grateful?! I can see the same gratitude in the eyes of animals when I try to save their lives”, Ilia Jincharadze shares his thoughts with us. He is learning the profession of his childhood dream and is doing a paid internship at a veterinary pharmacy.
His father was a veterinary doctor and Ilia always wanted to follow his profession. He is very fond of animals and was never lazy to take care of them. His father died a few years ago, and Ilia was left alone with his elderly mother in the village of Bokhvauri in Ozurgeti. He could neither acquire the qualification of a veterinary doctor in the region nor move to the capital to study due to financial or other family circumstances.
“Young Pedagogues Union”, within the framework of the LINKS project, offered local residents the opportunity to get employment and learn a new profession. The LINKS project is carried out with financing from the European Union, the Open Society Georgia Foundation, and the United Nations Association of Georgia. Ilia first attended educational courses and then he found himself in a veterinary pharmacy, where, in the immediate environment, closely observing the work done by veterinarians, now he learns, step by step, how to manage animal infections, apply modern approaches to diseases, use the necessary drugs and the methods of their application, as well as rehabilitation manipulations and many more things that an experienced veterinarian needs. Until now, he tried to be helpful to his fellow villagers in taking care of animals by applying the experience he remembered from the times he spent next to his father. Currently, he assists more people with a more profound consultation. In addition, thanks to the goodwill of the Open Society Georgia Foundation, Ilia has a new laptop, which is very important for improving his professional skills and overall learning process.
“This is a job that is mine and that I love. I am learning and getting paid for doing what empowers me. In the future, I am planning to definitely study, obtain a qualification as a veterinarian and take care of animals. Everything requires work. I am ready for it.”