The opening of the first ever rehabilitation center in Georgia for wounded soldiers is another great example of the bilateral partnership between the governments of the United States and Georgia. On January 27th, the Georgian government opened the modern rehabilitation center for wounded soldiers with about $4.5 million from the U.S. Government and 1 million GEL of Georgian state funding.
The Maro Makashvili Rehabilitation Centre, refurbished with ultra-modern equipment and resources, is located in the village of Tserovani of Mtskheta municipality [near Tbilisi] and will provide physical and psychological support for Georgian military servicemen.
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia thanked Georgian soldiers “for their devotion and contribution to local and international peace and security.” While, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Elisabeth Rood stated that U.S. will continue to support its “strategic partner (Georgia) and Georgian soldiers, who have contributed much to international peace and security.”
Earlier in 2019, the Embassy of Georgia in the United States, together with its partners, held a number of activities supporting wounded soldiers and raising awareness of Georgia’s significant contribution to the international peace and stability.
For the first time, two Georgian veterans and their spouses enjoyed recreational activities at the Boulder Crest Retreat, a rehabilitation center in Virginia, U.S. The project was initiated by the Embassy of Georgia with the support of the CEO and Founder of Boulder Crest Retreat, Mr. Ken Falke ( a U.S. veteran himself), Tbilisi-based Wounded Warrior Support Foundation (WWSF), and State Service for Veterans Affairs of Georgia. This pilot projects is a great example of the state-private and of the bilateral (bi-national) partnership.
Also, with the Embassy of Georgia initiative, San Diego-based charity organization Challenged Athletes Foundation donated sitting basketball wheelchairs for the basketball team of wounded military servicemen of the Armed Forces of Georgia during the Marine Corps Trials in Camp Pendleton/California, where the Georgian team won 38 medals in total. The Georgian team of sitting basketball players won gold defeating US Marine Corps athletes (Wounded Warrior Battalion – West Team 1) in the finals in March 2019.
Tbilisi-based Silk Road Group and its telecommunications company Silknet established a charity fund in 2018, the Wounded Warrior Support Foundation (WWSF), aimed at supporting military servicemen and veterans wounded and injured while defending Georgia or international security during peace keeping missions. The company believes that more efficiency can be reached within the joint efforts of private sector, public figures and government entities. Therefore, the foundation produced a detailed report which shows that the total donations for 2019 amounted to 293,600 GEL with 120,000 GEL contributed by Silknet and other private and business sector donations. The commitment of Silknet to donate 120,000 GEL annually increased to 320,000 GEL for 2020. The WWSF supported up to 50 beneficiaries in partnership with the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, the Embassy of Georgia to the United States, and State Service of Veterans Affairs.
Also in 2019, the Embassy of Georgia, in partnership with WWSF, issued an original handbook for the 116th Congress with the information on Georgia’s contribution to international peace and security all over the world, as well as the information on wounded warrior care program within the Defense Forces of Georgia since 2013.
