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Scots worker tells of chaos in war zone
By Iain Harrison
A SCOTS childcare expert who flew into Georgia on a humanitarian mission hours before it was shut off to the outside world has spoken of her horror at conditions in the country.
Madge Bray, from Edinburgh, touched down in the capital, Tbilisi, the same day Russia declared war over the separatist region of South
Ossetia.
One of her assignments was to deliver urgent medical supplies to an orphan called Datuna, whose desperate plight captured the hearts of Sunday Post readers three weeks ago.
The seven-year-old was left bedridden when his mother threw him from a window because she thought having a disabled child would help her earn more begging.
His life is now at risk due to a gaping wound on his back.
Madge reached Datuna without a problem but leaving Georgia two days later proved far more difficult.
Chaos
“The place is in chaos,” she said, following her return to Scotland on Tuesday. “People are sleeping in the open air, there’s no electricity and the price of bread is rocketing.
“Many of the children in Georgia are already disadvantaged and hundreds more will be displaced.
“I didn’t want to leave but my friends thought I’d be of more use if I could tell people what’s going on.”
Madge touched down in the former Soviet state in the early hours of August 9 .
She learned of the escalating problems in the region from a fellow passenger.
“The plane was jam-packed with journalists so I asked the young man sitting next to me what was going on,” she recalled.
“He said, ‘It’s war’. He also told me he was the head of the Georgian military police and that he was heading for South Ossetia. I can’t help wondering if he’s still alive.”
After meeting local volunteers, Madge was driven to the orphanage in the east of the country, where she witnessed chaotic scenes.
Evacuated
“There were a number of western volunteers based there but as I arrived they were being evacuated.
“I explained I needed to help Datuna but I was told it was no place for heroes.”
Madge was given enough time to hand over the surgical foam and air mattress she’d brought for him. But she was unable to provide him with the lifesaving treatment he needs.
“I was supposed to be travelling with Fiona Lindsay, a physio from Edinburgh, but her flight was turned away from
Tbilisi.
“She had the dressings and the expertise to treat the wound on his back.”
After bidding goodbye to Datuna, Madge began her return journey to Scotland on Monday, but it was fraught with difficulty.
She was supposed to be catching a flight from Tbilisi airport but her driver turned back after hearing rumours it had been captured by the Russians.
She then visited the British Embassy in the city but, to her astonishment, found it was closed.
“I called them and they told me to download a form and head for the airport in Armenia,” she said.
This meant an overnight drive to the country’s capital Yerevan —116 miles away.
But when Madge arrived at the border she found huge queues.
“It was chaotic but my experience was nothing compared to what my friends in Georgia are going through,” she said.
“People are already starving and the situation’s only going to get worse.”
 Madge needs funds to continue her work with vulnerable children in Georgia.
You can help by sending cheques (marked “Mamatsi Guli” on the back) payable to Ecologia Youth Trust, 66 The Park, Forres, Moray IV36 3TD or transfer funds directly to sort code 83-20-14, account number 00210205.
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