Tsiskari school: students from Georgia

I am Mary Kvitsinadze. I am 11 years old. I learn at school “Tsiskari”. I love my school. There are wonderful teachers. They are very clever and friendly. They love children and we are happy because they are teaching us. We study here: Italy, English and Russian languages. We have pen-friends in Great Britain. Sometimes in our school come famous people. Every winter we go to the camp in Bakuriani and we go skiing, make friends and have fun there.
In our school we have opportunities to reveal our talents in after school activities. We draw, sing, dance do sports and so on. School “Tsiskari” helps us to grow as clever, famous people and find our place in Georgian societies.


Hi. I'm Maruiam Shaishmelashvili, 11. I'm the student of the 6th form of the Vakhtang Esvanjia School "Tsiskari", Tbilisi, Georgia.
My school is only 10 years old, but it has a very special history. It is the story of great kindness, human support, friendship, war, children's tears and survived hopes.
The story started in the period of the World War II. Georgia was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union then and Abkhazia is the most beautiful part of Georgia. In Italy, Sicilia, Georgian partisans were fighting together with Italians. Some of them survived and returned to their families. A few of them were from Abkhazia. They kept best relationships with their Italian friends and supported to establishing cultural links between Abkhazia and Sicilia. In the 11th public school of Sukhumi (the central city of Abkhazia) there was founded the museum dedicated to the heroic history of Georgian partisans and friendship between Abkhazia and Sicilia. Vakhtang Esvanjia for that time was member of the local government and great supporter of these relationships.
In 1971, eruption on Etna caused earth quick and many cities and villages were in ruins. Georgian friends invited kids from Sicilia to spend a few months in Abkhazia, far away from the stressful problems, till their parents restore houses and clean out ruins. Invitation was received with gratitude and Sicilian children spent a few happy months in Abkhazia, surrounded with care and love. This visit strengthened friendship between the two people.
In 1991 the civic war started in Abkhazia. I don't know exactly the reasons that caused the war. I can't understand why people kill each other. I just know that in autumn of 1992 all Georgian population had to leave urgently Abkhazia but the enemy cut off their path of retreat. So, women, children and old people had to escape through the mountains of the Caucasus Range. They walked in terrible cold and snow, with no food and water. Terrible moments of those days followed children in their nightmares for a long time. Their lives completely changed. Now they were refugees, with no flat, food and hope for better future. The country had lots of political and economical problems and was not able to support its IDPs (Internally Displaced Person).
Now it was Sicilian's tern to help friends. Leo-Luka Orlando, the Mayor of Palermo got in touch to Vakhtang Esvanjia. They together, with great support of Italian Embassy started the long-term project, which saved the whole generation of the refugee children from despair and hopelessness. The initiative of Sicilia was spread in all over the Italy. Many families desired to host Georgian kids. They surrounded children with kindness, love. They became the second families for refugee children, who used to spend their summer holidays with them. Even now, when the project is completed and those kids are already the grown ups, they have best relationships.
I've seen the video material on this project. I saw, how Italian families met the children who didn't smile and had sorrow in their eyes. And, later they saw off the happy, laughing children.
The school "Tsiskari", or Italian school, as it is known in Tbilisi was founded by Vakhtang Esvanjia for participants of the project to help them to improve their Italian Language and contact each other.
Most of children-participants of the project have already graduated from the school and now are doing their bachelor or masters degrees at the universities. I know some of them:
Eka Kvirtia, graduated from "Tsiskari" in 2000. Now she works in one of the projects of Washington AMCOR as a Financial Manager and doing her Masters degree in GIPA.
Diana Kvaratskhelia, graduated from "Tsiskari" in 2005 is the successful student of the Tbilisi University, faculty of law.
Zura Kacharava, graduated in 2000. Lawyer, now is doing his masters degree.
Sofia Tutisani, graduated in 1999. Model, works in Italy.
Gocha Museridze, a successful architecture, had his practice in Italy by great support of his Italian family.
The school "Tsiskari" still keeps best relationships with Italy. It is the cultural bridge between the two countries. Students are actively involved in the learning-exchange programs.
I am proud to be a small part of this story. I hope to be able to contribute to already traditional chain of human kindness and support.

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Hello! We want to participate in this interesting project, which gives us the chance to make friends in the other countries. This letter is written from Georgia (Tbilisi) by the pupils of an Italian school “Tsiskari”. We’d like to have a good relationship with you.
Now about us:
The history has begun so: in 1992 in Georgia there was a huge group of Georgian people, who were persecuted from Abxazia after the war. They were stressed. Vakhtang Esvanjia has helped these poor people and sent young refuges in the Italy. According this project was born a great idea to establish an Italian school with exchange-programmes, to study the language well.
Now our school produces exchange-programes in Italy. According this project pupils and teachers were sent to Sicily where they attended practical studies in elementary and secondary school during a month. During this program children go sightseeing and live in the Italian families. Our project includes invitiry Italian children in our country. We carried exchange programmes since 1999.during the last years the school “Tsiskari” has been systematically arranging different kinds of camping’s at various resorts.
Summer camping – Borjomi, in Luky of 2005 summer camping in Bakuriani. Winter – Christmas camping in Bakuriani.
At school we study different subjects: Georgian, Italian, English, Russian, Maths and different scientists.
In our school there is the national dance club, which participates in different festivals of other countries, also there are: the group of painting, the group of national songs, the chess club, the swimming club, the karate “Do” club and others. There is also a drama club. The head-master of this group was Gogi Gabilaya. He had organized “Pinocchio” in Italian language. They were invited to the festival to Italy and the Italian people were in a state of shock, because this play had an incredible success.
We are the members of the UNESCO and the ISAschools.
If your association can connect us with different countries of Europe, we will be very glad for these relations.
Thank you!
George Beridze, George Tsindeliani, Pavle Kurtanidze and Nino Koshadze