Maria Dobrovolskaya is 22 years old. She lived in Kyiv, during two months of war she was there and experienced all the horrors of the war. For a concrete period of time, the girl moved to Vinnitsa to her grandmother and then left for Poland. She worked for several months in Katowice and Lodz. In Katowice she met a Georgian man, got married and they came to Georgia together.
At first they were in the husband's family - in Svaneti, where they received the Ukrainian daughter-in-law warmly. Maria was pregnant when they moved to Kutaisi. Like many refugees from Ukraine, Maria's family was also assisted by the Women Fund “Sukhumi”. After the birth of the child, representatives of the Fund visited the mother and child, congratulated them with great joy and brought the necessary gifts for the child: clothes, hygiene products, diapers, food...
The young mother thanked the guests for their assistance and support, which is so important in such a difficult time.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Local referral entities: members of the Gender Equality Council, existing in the City Council of the municipality, representatives of local self-government, the police and the social sphere, teachers and medical personnel gathered in the conference hall of Tkibuli Municipality City Hall
The meeting participants spoke about the facts of femicide, the problem of domestic violence and the importance of cooperation with local structures.
Attention was focused on ways of referencing, inter-agency cooperation and coordination that contribute to the prevention of violence.
During the meeting, there was a presentation on “National Referral Procedures for the Identification, Protection, Assistance and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence against Women and/or Domestic Violence (National Referral Mechanism)”.
Important issues were raised during the conversation: municipal statistics on arresting orders, identification of problems and assistance to the victims.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
A meeting organized by the Women Fund "Sukhumi" together with the Educational Resource Center on the topic "Local system of social partnership - cooperation between the education sector and the City Hall of the municipality" was held in the conference hall of public school N6 in Tkibuli. The experience of Tkibuli municipality is an example of a successful practice of decentralization of social work. However, according to the meeting participants, without a systematic dialogue between different groups of society, it is impossible to implement social policy according to the needs of beneficiaries and strengthen vulnerable families.
During the meeting, representatives of the Department for Children's Rights of the City Hall and the education sector exchanged important information that will contribute to social protection and empowerment of children and their families.
At the meeting, the participants were also informed about the practical guide/toolkit: "Preventing and responding to gender-based violence in war and post-war settings - experiences and recommendations of women's NGOs", which was developed by the WAVE Network in collaboration with its four WAVE members in 2022 by the support of the OSCE. The Toolkit describes best practices and the strategies employed by the women's NGOs to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in different phases of conflict.
- Strategies during Wartime and emergency response settings were shared by Ukrainian and Armenian partners Sexual Assault Crisis Center (Yerevan, Armenia), Centre “Women’s Perspectives” (Lviv, Ukraine);
- Strategies during Protracted conflict were described by the Women's Foundation "Sukhumi" (Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Georgia);
- Strategies during Post-war and long-term perspective were based on the experience of the Bosnia-Herzegovina partner. Foundation United Women Banja Luka (Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina)
(A practical guide is available here https://www.osce.org/secretariat/530695)
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
On the initiative and moderation of the advocacy group of the Women Fund "Sukhumi", a meeting was held with the participation of representatives of 17 municipalities of Western Georgia (Kutaisi, Tskaltubo, Vani, Terjola, Bagdati, Samtredia, Senaki, Tkibuli, Chokhatauri, Kobuleti, Tsalenjikha, Zugdidi, Ozurgeti, Poti, Lanchkhuti, Khoni, Khobi).
Topic of the meeting: "Local programs for the economic empowerment of women - the exchange of existing positive experience." Representatives of the municipalities of Chokhatauri, Poti, Zugdidi and Kobuleti spoke about local programs for the economic empowerment of women. The format of the discussion was effective in terms of sharing best practices and successful experiences.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Last month the forum-theater met with the prisoners of penitentiary N14 in Geguti. Everyone liked this visit very much, and the young actors were invited to the Kutaisi penitentiary N2. They showed 4 performances here. It was quite an impressive spectacle, and after each performance, an active discussion took place with the participation of the audience ... Forum Theater gained new experience by working with an unusual audience.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
How can a society torn apart by war and conflict overcome alienation, rebuild relationships and create a dignified and secure future? - Our representative, Ekaterine Gamakharia, spoke about these issues as a guest on Mamuka Kufaradze's TV program before presenting the Abkhaz film "Waiting for the Future".
A meeting organized by the Women Fund "Sukhumi" was held in the conference hall of Chokhatauri Educational Resource Center. Representatives of the department for the protection of children's rights and the education sector of the City Hall exchanged important information that will contribute to social protection and strengthening of children and their families.
Representatives of schools also received information about the interdepartmental commission of the City Hall on the issues protection from domestic violence and violence against women.
Participants identified a number of acute problems requiring immediate response. The plans for future cooperation were also outlined.
At the meeting, the participants were also informed about the practical guide/toolkit: "Preventing and responding to gender-based violence in war and post-war settings - experiences and recommendations of women's NGOs", which was developed by the WAVE Network in collaboration with its four WAVE members in 2022 by the support of the OSCE. The Toolkit describes best practices and the strategies employed by the women's NGOs to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in different phases of conflict.
- Strategies during Wartime and emergency response settings were shared by Ukrainian and Armenian partners Sexual Assault Crisis Center (Yerevan, Armenia), Centre “Women’s Perspectives” (Lviv, Ukraine);
- Strategies during Protracted conflict were described by the Women's Foundation "Sukhumi" (Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Georgia);
- Strategies during Post-war and long-term perspective were based on the experience of the Bosnia-Herzegovina partner. Foundation United Women Banja Luka (Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina)
(A practical guide is available here https://www.osce.org/secretariat/530695)
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
“Local cooperation for social environment focused on children and families” - a meeting on this topic was held in the village Pakhulani (Tsalenjikha municipality).
Representatives of the Social Department and the Children's Department of the City Hall provided the meeting participants with information about social and health programs and the specifics of the work of the Children's Department. They also got acquainted with the results of the activities of the departments for the protection of children's rights and their support, which were identified as a result of the monitoring conducted by the Women Fund "Sukhumi". During the meeting, there were identified the recommendations that will increase the efficiency of work in this direction.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The second month of the training course at the Youth Empowerment Centers continues successfully. The first meetings were held in Samtredia, Terjola, Senaki, Tsalenjikha and Zugdidi municipalities.
The trainings were attended by teachers, representatives of the youth services. And, of course, the main thing is active youth, who not only join the training with interest, but also carry out the initiated events in their schools with responsibility. It is gratifying that the support of the school administration and the teachers of civic education is felt everywhere.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Informational meetings with various target groups were held in the Women Support Centers of Samtredia, Tsalenjikha, Chokhatauri, Vani and Khurcha (Zugdidi municipality). The participants got acquainted with the activities of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" and the main results that exist in different areas. They talked about victim assistance services and economic empowerment programs.
Through the active discussion, the participants outlined their positions: they believe that, in order to fight against domestic violence, it is necessary to improve preventive measures, and this includes informing young people and improving services for victims.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)