The bullet holes in the walls of the Soviet-era post office in Gori, Georgia are still visible to passing cars. The building’s scars — which extend from the post-office to nearby buildings — serve as a daily reminder of the Russian occupation of the city and surrounding villages in August 2008.

The repercussions of the war are still reverberating in the lives of those it affected, particularly those who were forced to flee their homes to escape the fighting.

The impact of the war has disproportionately hit the elderly, especially women, many of whom are facing their twilight years alone and in poverty.

Makvala Chighladze, 68, was one of the many forced to flee the city ten years ago when it came under Russian attack. Chighladze and her family narrowly escaped the Russian troops when they fled to Tbilisi.

That was the second time she had been driven out of her home.

The first time was in 1991 when a military conflict broke out between Georgia and the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Her father-in-law perished when her family’s house in Znauri district was burned to the ground during the fighting.

Memories from that 1991 exodus still haunt Makvala. She explained that her health deteriorated following the 2008 war, and she became a recluse. “I never left my room and I brooded over my health.”

But today, with the help of the Gori day center for the elderly, Makvala reports that she is slowly reclaiming her life.

“Coming here helped. It got me back to normal. When the clock strikes 12, I rush here because I have a goal now, like I did back home in Froni valley [in South Ossetia] when I went to work every day.”