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With the collapse of the former Soviet Union a well-hidden secret of the past few decades surfaced: the existence of hundreds of thousands of Greeks, dispersed throughout the newly-formed republics of the Commonwealth. In reality, the Hellenic presence that remained in these countries is a mere fraction of what it was or could have become. Many Greeks had died, not being able to survive the hardships; others emigrated. Yet many still remain in their ancient homelands. Some of them do not speak Greek, as they never were given the chance to learn. However, despite the persecutions and the difficulties, they maintained their Hellenic identity and their Greek Orthodox faith. Following political reforms, these Greeks attempted to reorganize themselves: they cleaned up their churches; they created new icons; and, they set up schools so that their children could learn Greek.
Their situation, however, is still one of hardship. Professionals of a high-quality education receive salaries of $40-$50 monthly. They are in need of medicine, diagnostic equipment, medical instruments, and the proper facilities for basic health care. They are plagued by unemployment and in real terms, 80% of the population lives under poverty levels.
There are still hundreds of thousands of Hellenes residing in Georgia-in the mountainous villages of Tsalka, in the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Southern Russia and Uzbekistan. These people live facing third-world conditions with almost non-existent medical care.
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