Four meetings were held with women activists from the Women Support Centers of Senaki, Tskaltubo, Tsalenjikha and Zugdidi (village Khurcha).
The meeting participants got acquainted with our new research "Gender aspects of women's migration". After the presentation, there was held a discussion on - how the socio-economic and legal status and intersectional vulnerability factors influence migration decisions.
Fragments from the participants' speeches:
"Migration is a serious problem of our time - due to economic factors or vulnerability. Many people have emigrated, and this problem affects women the most".
"Women are forced to emigrate because there is no way out, and ultimately our reality is the following: family alienation and generations, growing up without mothers."
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
On June 18-19, Ekaterine Gamakharia, head of the Tbilisi office of Women Fund "Sukhumi", participated in Feminist Fest 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden. The event, hosted by the Swedish Defence University, brought together feminist activists, peacebuilders, researchers, and academics from around the world.
One of the highlights of the festival was the launch of the book “Brave Women: Fighting for Justice in the 21st Century”, featuring a co-authored chapter by Ekaterine Gamakharia and feminist researcher Magda Cardenas. Their chapter -"Transitional Activism: Women Peace Efforts within Conflict-Affected Populations in Georgia" explores the transformation of displaced women in Georgia from victims to leaders and advocates, drawing on personal narratives and the long-standing work of Women Fund "Sukhumi".
“This experience was unique. I was not just a research subject I was an author with the freedom to share my perspective and truth,” said Gamakharia.
She emphasized that in today’s shrinking civic space in Georgia, where the term “gender” is increasingly politicized, displaced and conflict-affected women continue their fight - “Nothing about us, without us!”
A mutual assistance group was created in Senaki, which included activists, women leaders and young people. The main responsibilities and duties of the group members were defined.
At the first information meeting, the participants were provided with information about the main goals, objectives and activities of the project "Women Act for Peace and Empowerment of Local Community".
The group participants will undergo a series of trainings that will increase their competence and professionalism.
The project will provide the participants with the opportunity to work on the needs of IDP communities. All activities are aimed at solving community problems and improving the socio-economic situation in IDP communities.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
The first meeting of the project "Women Act for Peace and Strengthening the Local Community" was held in Poti. The mutual assistance group was officially formed. The meeting was attended by IDP women and girls, who will become the main beneficiaries and participants of the project in the future.
They received detailed information about the goals and objectives of the project, as well as the activities planned for the coming months. Particular attention was paid to the opportunities that the project offers to the group members: a series of trainings to develop their competencies and professional skills.
The main roles, duties and responsibilities of the group members have been defined, which will facilitate an organized and result-oriented work process. The participants will identify problems in the IDP communities; define priority issues and work to solve them through community initiatives.
In addition, the project aims to support and strengthen the capacity of the "Network of Women and Youth Peace Ambassadors".
Poti is a new municipal area of the project. This gives even more importance to increasing motivation and facilitating the creation of new spaces for dialogue and cooperation.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Kutaisi has actively joined the project "Women Act for Peace and Strengthening of Local Communities". A mutual assistance group was created and the first information meeting was held.
The meeting participants were introduced to the goals, objectives and planned activities of the project. They also learned about the duties and responsibilities of the group members. It is important for them that the project work will contribute to solving problems and improving the socio-economic situation in the IDP communities.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Training on the topic: "Social work in communities, prevention and response to domestic violence - assessment and analysis of work" was held in the office of our organization.
The training was attended by mobilizers and Para-specialists of Women Support Centers from ten target municipalities of Western Georgia.
The participants shared successful social work practices, assessed the results of social work in Women Support Centers, and discussed challenges, conclusions and response mechanisms.
Based on the training program, through interactive involvement, they determined the effectiveness of using women support services.
The trainer gave them the necessary advices - how to increase the use of existing services by beneficiaries, and what additional skills are needed to strengthen social work.
In the format of group work, together with a psychologist, they created a psychosocial portrait of a person (beneficiary); discussed the need for empathy and a sensitive approach when communicating with women at risk of violence.
At the end of the training, the participants noted:
"The training is a good opportunity to share information. There are many women around us who need support. We will be able to cooperate with them and change their condition by strengthening social work."
"The information I received is new skill for me, the use of which will help identify women at risk".
"I listened to representatives of different municipalities and the situation is almost the same everywhere - social work is necessary to prevent violence. We know a lot, we have learned a lot today, and we need to use all this in practice to empower women."
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Discussions on the psychosocial, economic, legal, structural aspects of migration and its prevention were held with women groups of Khoni and Khobi municipalities. They were familiarized with the results of the research of the Charitable Humanitarian Women Fund “Sukhumi”, and discussed ways to prevent migration and reduce its negative consequences.
The women had visions based on their life experience about how important it is and what needs to be done to reduce migration and mitigate its consequences, reintegrate women in emigration and improve the psychosocial climate in their families.
They believe that they have the resources to implement small civil initiatives and can initiate meetings on migration risks, for example, with discussions based on real stories. Particular interest was expressed in raising awareness of possible negative changes in the emotional and behavioral state of children, as they see many negative examples that worsen the climate of families and, in general, society. Specific ideas will be discussed at future meetings.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
On June 12–13, an international conference dedicated to Women, Peace, and Security was held in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Organized with the support of UN Women, the event marked the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and brought together more than 160 women peacebuilders, leaders, and activists from 25 countries.
Among the four women delegates from Georgia was Ekaterine Gamakharia, Head of the Tbilisi Representative Office of Women Fund "Sukhumi." The conference focused on strengthening women’s leadership and gender-responsive justice as central elements of sustainable peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery.
At the end of the event, participants developed a unified vision for advancing the implementation of Resolution 1325. Their collective statement emphasized: “We will not wait another 25 years. We will act now to place women’s leadership, gender-responsive justice, peacebuilding, and restorative processes at the center of all peace efforts – in every country, for every generation.”
Reflecting on her participation, Ekaterine Gamakharia noted that being in Sarajevo was a powerful reminder of what true recovery means:
The mutual assistance group gathered at an information meeting in Khoni. The participants received information about the project, its goals and objectives, as well as planned activities.
The mutual assistance group brought together active women and young people who will work in their communities to identify priority problems and solve them.
The project includes trainings for group members, which will help them acquire new knowledge and skills.
The current project also envisages the expansion, strengthening and support of the "Network of Women and Youth - Peace Ambassadors".
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
