Vaja's New Beginnings

Vaja came to Ireland in 2006 to apply for asylum, and lived in an accommodation centre for three years. He had come to Ireland alone, leaving his adult children in Georgia. He decided that he wanted to return to be closer to his family, and because he missed the way of life in Georgia.

Vaja made an appointment with IOM in Dublin to ask for assistance to return. He received a flight ticket, and was also told that he could apply for a reintegration grant to help him begin working. Vaja waited until his return to decide what kind of business he wanted to open, and then he submitted a business application to the local IOM office in Tbilisi.

After returning, Vaja lived with friends and family until he received the grant. With the funds, he began a small shop where he could sell cigarettes and food. A few months later, however, Vaja was facing business problems. The number of customers was decreasing, and Vaja had competition from more well-established shops nearby. Vaja closed his shop nine months after he had opened it.

Vaja used the remaining funds from the shop, and borrowed some money from friends, to purchase a mini-van two months later. The mini-van is large, with six seats, so that Vaja could begin working as a driver. He has set up agreements with small hotels who now call him when they need a driving service. After six months, Vaja had established a stable income from his new business.

Vaja told IOM staff during his monitoring visit that he is happy to have returned to Georgia. He plans to establish more contracts with customers for the driving business, and to remain in Georgia with his family.