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)
On May 1, 2023, Ekaterine Gamakharia, the representative of the Women's Fund "Sukhumi", attended the presentation of the thematic inquiry report - "The Accessibility to Financial Resources for Women and Girls" presented by the GEC member, Ana Natsvlishvili, which was held at the Writers' House of Georgia.
The main speaker of the thematic inquiry group, Ana Natsvlishvili, together with the expert, introduced the inquiry outcomes and key findings. She emphasized the multi-sectoral format of work on the inquiry and noted that women's empowerment needs a systemic approach from the state, as well as a unified clear vision and policy. As elucidated, the inquiry included meetings with the representatives of the state institutions, the banking sector, civil society, and donor organizations. The Group held thematic meetings in 9 municipalities with the entrepreneur women, local authorities, and society, where the head of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" Tbilisi office also participated and shared information about the challenges of displaced and conflict-affected women with the inquiry group.
The thematic inquiry report is available here:
Ekaterine Gamakharia, the representative of the Women's Fund "Sukhumi" Tbilisi office, participated in the two-day seminar held during the Council of Europe Visibility Week on April 27-28, within the framework of the cooperation of the Council of Europe Congress and the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia. The seminar was held within the framework of the "Strengthening Participatory Democracy and Human Rights at the Local Level in Georgia" project, the main topic of which was the strengthening of inclusive communication.
One of the workshop sessions was dedicated to the participants of the local authorities using the "Living Library" method to get to know the personal stories of various vulnerable groups, the challenges they face, and their visions of solving the problems.
Ekaterine Gamakharia, the representative of the Women's Fund "Sukhumi", presented the challenges of the displaced woman to the representatives of the municipality, and spoke about the need for the participation of the displaced people, including women and girls, in the process of developing local policies, and the need to introduce municipal services and social programs to solve the problems they face.
Training courses continued actively. Another five meetings were held in the Youth Empowerment Centers of Bagdati, Vani, Samtredia, Chokhatauri and Senaki.
School directors, teachers, representatives of youth services took part in the trainings. The process was interesting and fruitful in all municipalities.
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 total number of participants of 10 trainings held in April is 266 people. Everyone showed great interest towards the training course. This is very important to us and always gives more effect to our work.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)