Maxare's Woodwork

Maxare trained in woodwork from the time that he was a teenager. He began as a worker and increased his skill until he became a master. Eventually he owned his own woodwork business, at one time employing fifty people. Unfortunately, the business closed, and for four years Maxare was unable to find work again. He decided to emigrate, and his friends in Ireland told him to come live with them.

Maxare found it difficult to leave Georgia at his age, especially as he could not speak English. At one point he prepared himself with notes in advance so that he could communicate with people. He found work in construction for two years before he became unemployed. When he could not find work again, he began to consider returning to Georgia.

The decision was made for him, however, when he received word that his son was ill. A friend told Maxare about IOM, so he made an appointment immediately. He could not speak English very well, and so everything was done through interpreters. Maxare felt that everything was made easy for him. He was assisted in returning very quickly, and for this he was grateful. Two days after he arrived in Georgia his son died. Maxare was able to see him.

Two months after his return to Georgia, Maxare knew the grant was going to expire. He contacted IOM Tbilisi to apply for funds to reopen the woodwork business. He used the fund to purchase two second-hand saws, one of them handmade. His friends also invested in the business with him.

IOM Ireland visited Maxare six months after he had returned to see the business. There are six employees in the shop now, two masters (including Maxare), and four assistants. Mainly they are getting requests for construction. They sometimes get requests for furniture-making as well. The sawdust left over from cutting the wood is given to the local community where it is used in sheds as insulation for animals because it is very warm.

At the moment the business is covering only part of the costs but they have a lot of plans and hope for the future. Recently, a man approached them with a contract to cut wood from his own forest. From next year, the shop will be receiving wood from that forest for Maxare to cut. Their new partner will export it from Georgia for sale.

Maxare would advise Georgians considering return to think about their own situation. “If they are unemployed and cannot find work, then it is better to be unemployed with your family around you.”

Maxare has only been back for six months, so he says that a little bit of his heart is still in Ireland. During the four years he lived there, it became a second home to him.