Bus shelter

Bus shelter

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Bringing up a baby is never easy, but 21-year-old Teona Meladze is facing the challenge in particularly tough circumstances.

She belongs to a family of eight who live in two abandoned buses in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, and together get by on about $110 a month from the state, with some additional income from occasional jobs and selling scrap metal.

. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

The family's story starts ten years ago, when 48-year-old Bayram Kuradze (left) decided to leave his home village, looking for a job and a brighter future in the capital. Not long after arriving, he met his wife, Iamze Khasaia, and her three children, who had moved from a remote village to Tbilisi for the same reason.

At first, things worked out well: Bayram managed to get a job as a technician in a garage for a Georgian film production company, and was able to rent an apartment for a year. But then the garage was abandoned, Bayram lost his job and had to give up his flat too.

Without many options open to them, the family moved into two old buses that the company management let them occupy. They stayed, even as the family grew when Iamze's son Dato got married and his young wife had two children.

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Slideshow

Twenty-two-year-old Kristine Chkadua, the eldest daughter in the family, holds her baby nephew Misha as she walks between the two abandoned buses where they live.
. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Twenty-two-year-old Kristine Chkadua, the eldest daughter in the family, holds her baby nephew Misha as she walks between the two abandoned buses where they live.

Teona Meladze, the wife of Kristine's brother Dato and mother of two young children, washes dishes outside.
. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Teona Meladze, the wife of Kristine's brother Dato and mother of two young children, washes dishes outside.

Kristine uses her mobile phone inside one of the buses, decorated with fabric hangings and cuddly toys.
. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Kristine uses her mobile phone inside one of the buses, decorated with fabric hangings and cuddly toys.

Teona holds her three-month-old baby Misha.
. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Teona holds her three-month-old baby Misha.

Bayram chats with members of his family inside one of the buses. The 48-year-old earns some extra money for the household by helping out in a garage from time to time
. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Bayram chats with members of his family inside one of the buses. The 48-year-old earns some extra money for the household by helping out in a garage from time to time

Kristine takes a drink of water inside one of the buses.
. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Kristine takes a drink of water inside one of the buses.

Misha sleeps splayed out on the bed.
. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Misha sleeps splayed out on the bed.

Three-year-old Gurami peers out of the window of a bus. While the family's living quarters are unusual, the hardship they face is not so uncommon in Georgia. According to official statistics, about 435,000 people, just under 10 percent of the country's population, receive targeted social assistance because they live below the poverty line.
. TBILISI, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Three-year-old Gurami peers out of the window of a bus. While the family's living quarters are unusual, the hardship they face is not so uncommon in Georgia. According to official statistics, about 435,000 people, just under 10 percent of the country's population, receive targeted social assistance because they live below the poverty line.