In Chisinau, Moldova, Ekaterine Gamakharia, Head of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" representative office in Tbilisi, was honored to lead the Fireside event at a workshop with the inspiring Women's Advisory Board (WAB) for the Moldova Peace Talks, organized by the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) and UN Women. The workshop aimed at empowering WAB members with enhanced advocacy and negotiation skills, specifically addressing the Transnistrian Settlement Process. During the Fireside event, Ekaterine shared experiences of women activists' involvement in Georgia's peace processes, providing a detailed overview of the dynamic of cooperation between peace talks delegates and women's organizations. The session was open, interactive, and filled with enriching discussions.
"I believe in the power of shared experiences and knowledge exchange. Moldovan and Georgian women peace activists can learn from each other, reinforcing our collective commitment to building a more peaceful and inclusive world," said Ekaterine, reflecting on her visit.
Psychologist of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" Ekaterine Kvachakidze held group and individual meetings in the Women Support Centers of Terjola, Samtredia, Kobuleti, Zugdidi and Vani. Among the participants there were: victims of violence, representatives of families under crisis, school teachers.
The main topic of the group meetings was “The impact of traumatic experiences on the victim and abuser”. People with traumatic experiences often suffer from psychological stress. In such a situation, it is necessary to work individually with children, work with families, teachers, as a result of which we will get an effective impact.
The meetings were held in question-and-answer mode. The participants showed activity and goodwill. According to them, such meetings are necessary and useful.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Trainings of the six-month course are carried out according to plan. 5 trainings were conducted at the Youth Empowerment Centers of Chokhatauri, Samtredia, Senaki, Kobuleti and Terjola.
It was a discussion of actual issues, problems, group and individual work, which arouse great interest among young people. Parents and teachers of the participants attended the meetings. The active involvement of schools and families is a great incentive for us.
Our initiative should be mentioned - in new groups, together with trainers from the Women Fund “Sukhumi”, graduates conduct trainings on topics that are interesting for them. It has particular importance in our work.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Domestic violence, legislation, prevention of violence and raising awareness - the members of the women initiative group of the village Koki - Zugdidi municipality were trained on these issues. They talked about the forms of violence, protection mechanisms and state services. The meeting held with Koki youth initiative group was dedicated to the topic of promotion of peace and non-violent culture. The young people were informed about the campaign of "16 active days against gender-based violence".
An information-sharing meeting was held with participants from the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and civil society representatives. Ekaterine Gamakharia, the head of the Tbilisi office of the Women's Fund "Sukhumi," along with women community leaders residing in the conflict's dividing line, participated in the meeting.
During the discussion, representatives of non-governmental organizations focusing on women's issues, along with conflict-affected women, including those residing in villages near the dividing line and displaced women, delved into a comprehensive analysis of the current situation in regions not controlled by Georgia. The conversation also covered villages located near the conflict's dividing line, humanitarian challenges faced by the local population, and the specific needs of conflict-affected women. The women emphasized the heightened sense of physical danger prevalent among the population near the dividing line, particularly following the incident where a Georgian citizen was killed by Russian border guards. Additionally, there was recognition of a concerning trend in the deterioration of mental and psychological health within the community. The discussion also brought attention to the poor socio-economic conditions and the lack of access to basic needs and services in the affected areas.
Ekaterine Gamakharia, the head of Women Fund “Sukhumi” Tbilisi Office was privileged to represent Women Fund Sukhumi and civil society organizations as a panelist at a remarkable side event organized by Canada, Chair of the Forum for Security Co-operation, and Ireland, Chair of the Human Dimension Committee. The event was dedicated to the crucial topic of „It's about people': Mental health impacts of war on civilians and military personnel.“
Among panelists were Mr. Oleksandr Klen, Clinical Psychologist at the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Dr. Julijana Stojanova, Deputy Head of the Human Resources Department, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of North Macedonia, Mr. Andrew Gardner, Deputy Head of Human Rights Departments, ODIHR, and Major-General March Bilodeau, Surgeon General in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Training on “The importance of Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) of local political documents and gender budget for inclusive, equal and fair local governance” was held on November 4-6 in Borjomi, at “Borjomi Palace Hotel”. The training was attended by representatives of local self-government of seven municipalities of Western Georgia: Senaki, Zugdidi, Terjola, Tsalenjikha, Kobuleti, Chokhatauri, Khobi. Also - representatives of the regional administrations of Imereti and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.
Participants were informed about the methodology of Gender Impact Assessment (GIA). They got acquainted with the materials of international practice of gender budgeting, achievements and challenges. It was determined how to conduct gender analysis, sectoral distribution in the budgeting process, and assessment of the gender impact of local policy documents.
Working with civil society partners on consent-based rape definition in law and ending Sexual Violence. Challenges to gender-based violence are identified, and an important discussion has been moderated by Tamar Dekanosidze, Equality Now’s Regional Representative in Eurasia.
Collaboration and solidarity are needed to overcome challenges and make systemic changes possible. Our representative - Linda Chikhladze was involved in the working meeting.
Maria Sosnitskaya from Ukraine. The war brought her to Georgia. In Women Fund “Sukhumi”, she learned about courses of working with polymer clay and became interested. Now she is studying this interesting work with other students. Maria is satisfied with the teaching methods. According to teacher Maka Jishkariani, she is a talented, diligent student and can turn this hobby into a source of additional income.
Maria is going to apply for a grant announced by CareCaucasus. Our 10 Ukrainian beneficiaries will take part in the training, after which they will be able to write a grant project. In the previous competition, three Ukrainians received a grant for small business activities. We believe that the these results will also be successful.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The little Ukrainian boy has been in Georgia with his mother for two years now, but he still hasn’t got used to the situation. He misses his father, his family... His behavior shows stress. So his mother took him to a psychologist. Drawing, touching pebbles, sand - with the help of these methods the psychologist studies his emotional state. This is how the first sessions go. Gradually the boy becomes bolder, his fears disappear, and he builds better relationship with classmates at school. Of course, mom is very grateful.
Psychologist of the Women Fund “Sukhumi” held meetings with representatives of 7 families. She spoke with 15 people - refugees from Ukraine who survived the war - and felt their experiences. The main thing in working with them is to overcome trauma, cope with the crisis... Some of them were for the first time and the psychologist learned about their needs, and with some of them she continued the process of psycho rehabilitation. Refugees from Ukraine mention that such support is of great importance.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)