On April 6, a meeting with one initiative group of women was held in Khoni City Council and the other - in the House of Culture.
First speech was presented form the side of training participants (6 women out of this group participated in the training, which was held in Sairme) and they shared their impressions with the group members.
Then there was a presentation on "Gender Responsive Early Warning System." The participants of the two meetings got acquainted with the essence of this system and human security. At the end, they received information about the research "Assessment of the quality of population human security and gender needs", also the participants, who will carry out this work were selected.
First activity of the project “Bridging the Gap: People to People Initiatives for Conflict Resolution” was held in Sairme on March 27-28. These were two trainings, which were carried out for two groups on one important topic "Gender Responsive Early Warning System (GREWS)". Members of women and youth initiative groups created within the project from Kutaisi, Tskaltubo, Khoni, Senaki, Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha municipalities participated in the trainings. Using the information obtained during two days, the members of the initiative group will be involved in the process of research, which is planned in the target municipalities.
In the framework of the new project “Women`s participation in the process of building trust and sustainable peace has been strengthened”, the needs research of women and IDP girls and victims of conflict has started in target municipalities.
During the meeting with the fieldworkers, information on important details of future activities was exchanged.
The geography of the research is 6 villages on the conflict dividing line and in Zugdidi. During the research, quantitative and qualitative information will be collected.
On March 25, 2021, Ekaterine Gamakharia, Head of the Tbilisi Office of the Fund "Sukhumi", participated in the side-event had been held within the framework of the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65).
Ekaterine and her organization documented about the devastating impact on the economic situation of IDPs and conflict-affected women. She stressed that women’s participation in policy formulation is critical in ensuring a sustainable recovery.
“I am passionate about contributing to a peaceful, just, and progressive society, in which women, together with men, are able to make a difference through their activism. I firmly believe that peace and security cannot be sustained unless women have an equal and active role in political, economic, and social policy formulation.”
On March 25, Linda Chikhladze, the representative of the Fund “Sukhumi” Tbilisi office, participated in an online webinar organized by the Women Against Violence Network (WAVE) through the ZOOM platform.The event presented a WAVE’s research “Responding to domestic abuse in the context of Covid-19”.
During the webinar, representatives from the participating countries shared their national experiences and discussed the challenges and needs that accompany the process of responding to violence against women/domestic violence during pandemic.
Fund "Sukhumi" started working on the project “Bridging the Gap: People to People Initiatives for Conflict Resolution”. According to the project, Women and Youth Initiative Groups have been formed in Kutaisi, Tskalutbo, Khoni, Senaki, Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha municipalities. Each group is composed by 20-25 members.
Women and youth groups will work in parallel and will be involved in the activities envisaged under the project - studying the needs at local level and advocating for problems. The members of the group will pass special trainings, educational seminars, which will serve to increase their competence and strengthen civic activism. The work of the initiative groups is an important component of the project, which will create an opportunity for the implementation of new initiatives and will contribute to improving the level of tolerance in society.
The youth spirit was felt that day in the office of the Fund "Sukhumi". Students of the upper-grades from Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha municipalities took part in the training “Conflict Management, Positive Communication, Tolerance, Empathy, Leadership, Civil Activism”.
Young people liked the comfortable atmosphere, topics, relationships between the participants, they boldly played roles during various activities.
At the end of the training, the participants shared their impressions. Here are some short phrases from their remarks:
Elene Shengelia (school of the village Koki, Zugdidi municipality): - The training strengthened the roots of non-formal education in me ... My knowledge and the knowledge gained during the training supplemented each other and created a strong chain.
On 11 March, the EUMM Mtskheta Regional Office on Human Security has organized an information-sharing meeting dedicated to women’s leadership in conflict-affected communities and in local governments, the importance of their activism, challenges, and opportunities for their participation in the decision-making process. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the EUMM, as well as other international organizations accredited in Georgia and civil society organizations.
Ekaterine Gamakharia, the representative of Fund “Sukhumi” Tbilisi office highlighted the challenges and barriers that hinder women’s meaningful participation in the decision-making process and the obstacles that prevent IDP and conflict-affected to be engaged in advocacy of their own concerns. She emphasized the need to empower IDPs and conflict-affected women especially those living close to the conflict dividing line, to raise their awareness, build their capacity and develop a strong civil society in the field. She has also drawn attention to the importance of active communication, exchange of information, and cooperation between international organizations, civil society organizations, and community leaders.
Ekaterine Gamakharia, Head of the Tbilisi Representative Office of the Fund "Sukhumi" has participated in a meeting organized by the Association “Peaceful and Business Caucasus”. The meeting was dedicated to the situation of the fire-affected population in Gali district. The representative of Fund “Sukhumi” has made a presentation and informed meeting participants about key findings and urgent needs of fire-affected population reflected in the organization’s recently published rapid-assessment report.
The meeting was attended by the civil society organizations working on the issues of IDPs and conflict-affected population, representatives of the de jure authorities of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, and the fire-affected persons.
The response strategies and actions of joint efforts were actively discussed during the meeting.
