When we spoke with Kety, then 18, she reflected on those difficult early days of motherhood.
“I had very bad thoughts about the future,” she recalled. “Even after having the child, I was leaning towards depression. I had no motivation for anything.”
Kety’s story reflects a quiet but pervasive crisis in Georgia. Despite laws strictly banning marriage under the age of 18, the country has long struggled with early marriage and adolescent pregnancy. According to UNFPA, up to 17% of women in Georgia were married before 18 — a practice that puts their safety at risk and limits their education, development and future economic independence.
A safety net for mothers in crisis
The Mother and Child Shelter of SOS Children’s Villages in Georgia serves as a critical safety net for both adult and young mothers facing various crises in their lives. The programme – which operates four small, government-funded shelters across Tbilisi and Kutaisi – has supported more than 500 mothers and children since it began in the early 2010s.
Tamar Chanturia, Programme Development Director for SOS Children’s Villages Georgia, says domestic violence plays a role in up to 60 percent of referrals. This trauma is heavily compounded by severe poverty and an intense cultural stigma surrounding children born out of wedlock, which can lead families to reject their own daughters.
Nelly Akobia, National Family Strengthening Advisor, says that the Mother and Child Shelter programme plays a crucial role in preventing the separation of children from their mothers and keeping both children and mothers safe at a time of crisis.
“This crisis is usually extremely difficult to overcome for mothers with young children, especially underage mothers if they do not have a safe space to stay with their children as well as the needed psychosocial and economic support,” she says.
Teenage mothers require particularly tailored support, she adds. They are still children themselves - navigating motherhood while also needing guidance, education and protection.
Alongside these challenges, a lack of employment opportunities leaves many women financially stranded.
“It's difficult to find a job here because we have only small businesses like restaurants, cafes. We don't have big factories," Kutaisi Project Director Lela Barabadze explained, adding that the region's ultimate "pain" is emigration, as parents are forced to leave the country to find livable wages.
To combat these complex circumstances, the Mother and Child Shelter uses a multidisciplinary approach. Rather than just offering a temporary place to stay, the shelters provide simultaneous economic training, individualized psychological therapy, and targeted courses on positive parenting skills.
A path toward independence
For young people like Kety, this support is designed to break the cycle of poverty. With intensive psychological counselling, she began to recover from postpartum depression and build stability. Through the programme’s focus on skills development, she started exploring different pathways.
After trying coding and nail technician courses funded by the programme, Kety discovered her interest in culinary arts. “I came to the shelter as a completely different person — and now I feel completely different,” she said, reflecting on her growing confidence. While she plans to use her cooking skills to earn an income in the short term, her long-term goal is to return to programming and secure a stable, home-based job while raising her son.
This focus on independence was equally important for Maia, who was 16 at the time of our interview. She arrived after her living situation became unsafe for her infant. “I had no contact with the child’s father, and without my mother, I was living with my aunt — but the conditions were not suitable for a child,” she explained.
Maia’s education had been completely disrupted, but the shelter team acted quickly. “The most important support for me was helping me return to school and enrol in college,” she said. Now studying sewing, she has clear ambitions: “I want to become a tailor and open my own atelier.”
More time to build a future
Typically, the shelter programme hosts women for a maximum of one year. For young mothers arriving without a high school diploma, emotional maturity or essential life skills, that timeframe becomes a race against the clock.
Through the advocacy of SOS Children's Villages Georgia, legislation regulating shelter services was amended. Underage mothers can now stay until their child reaches two years and two months—giving them critical time to recover, continue their education and plan for independent living. This change allowed Kety and Maia to remain in the programme longer.
“It is physically impossible to manage everything in one year—having a baby, caring for the child, and at the same time trying to learn or build something for the future,” Kety said. “Coming here at 16, I was very young. I practically grew up here. And the caregivers… they treat us like mothers, which matters a lot.”
Asked about the importance of the shelter, Maia was clear: “It gives you the opportunity to learn and move forward. Being here gave me a reason to keep going.”
Names changed to protect privacy.