First Step is largely reliant on support from individuals, corporations, organizations and international aid organizations for the funding needed to provide the wide range of services we provide to our children. 

 

FSG has been well supported over the years and made the most of what was available to:

• build a modern, well equipped facility that is now our Day Care Center in Tbilisi to meet the needs of 55 very needy children every day
• provide extensive training in the most modern and up-to-date methodologies for our care-givers, as well as others in Georgia who work with children with special needs
• build a strategy and operating platform that allows for maximum flexibility in reaching as many of Georgia's children with disabilities as we can - from the Day Care Center to Early Intervention Services to Home-Based Care

 

However the global economic crisis has reduced the ability of many of our long-standing donors to maintain their levels of giving and we need more - and more diversified - sources of funding to meet the day to day costs of serving these children. 

 

Caring for children with disabilities and special needs is very expensive.  

 

These children require a high care-giver to child ratio to meet their physical needs - we average 1 teacher/care giver to 4 children in a classroom.  FSG provides round trip transportation and food for most of our children on a daily basis.  Additionally, we have a team of people, including a pediatrician, on staff to quickly attend to any and all medical issues. Increasing costs of gas, electricity, and water all hit our bottom line as well. 

90% of our children come from families with very limited incomes who simply do not have the means to cover the costs of our services themselves.  These families rely on government vouchers to pay.  The government vouchers are for 220 GEL / $134 USD per child per month.  The actual cost to provide services is 610 GEL / $370 USD per child per month.  Every month, we subsidize the services these children receive for approximately 390 GEL / $238 USD per child.  (1.64 GEL = 1 USD)

 

The subsidized difference of 390 GEL per month comes from donors, volunteers and corporate support and from people like you.

Won't you consider helping in anyway you can?