A working meeting was held in the IDP settlement of Kutaisi (former cooperative college). Women members of the initiative groups, who passed the trainings, improve their knowledge and acquired new skills, now they conduct informational meetings in their community, speak about importance and necessity of unity, civil activity, team work.
Lack of drainage channels, water pooling in basements and damaged building facades - they identified this problem and began the advocacy process. They are collecting signatures to present to local government and ask for help.
The project is implemented with the support of USAID local governance program
The members of Khoni youth club spoke about the activities carried out and to be carried out within the framework of the mini project. The meeting was hosted by Khoni public school N 3. The members of the first women initiative group of Khoni spoke about the problems solved within the project, cooperation with the local government, and the benefits and impact of the project in general. The representative of the USAID, Mr. Giorgi Khechinashvili, attended the meeting. Correctly selected problem, correctly conducted process, is a prerequisite for successful advocacy - the second women initiative group of Khoni discussed the process of developing an advocacy plan.
Tskaltubo youth groups implemented mini-projects on the theme of peace. All activities were aimed at popularizing peace issues and increasing the role of young people. The activities gave the participants an opportunity to get more information about Abkhazia and Georgian-Abkhazian relations. They discussed what they can do for peace, expressed their opinions in different ways and reminded the society of the priority of this topic. The women's group was also active. Members worked on an advocacy plan. The issues identified as a result of the research were selected as problems.
These photos describe a working meeting hwld on Ioseliani Street in Kutaisi. The Women Fund “Sukhumi” trained members of the initiative group in advocacy issues. Now they hold information meetings in their communities to raise civic responsibility.
Meeting participants talk about the importance of teamwork, the skills required to maintain common property, specific problems in the community and ways to solve them within the framework of civic responsibility.
Members of the initiative group identified problems and began advocacy. They are now sharing their experiences with others so that more people can become actors in local policy development.
The project is implemented with the support of USAID local governance program
The members of the women initiative group of the village Pakhulani of Tsalenjikha municipality developed an advocacy plan based on the problems identified as a result of the research. One of the priority issues in Tskoushi community was the renovation of the sports ground. It was revealed that there is no appropriate infrastructure and it does not meet modern standards. During the meeting, the members of the women's group discussed the activities that should be implemented in the future.
Tskaltubo youth groups implemented mini-projects on the theme of peace. All activities were aimed at popularizing peace issues and increasing the role of young people. The activities gave the participants an opportunity to get more information about Abkhazia and Georgian-Abkhazian relations. They discussed what they can do for peace, expressed their opinions in different ways and reminded the society of the priority of this topic. The women's group was also active. Members worked on an advocacy plan. The issues identified as a result of the research were selected as problems.
Women Fund "Sukhumi" organized a training with young people on the topic: "Mediation as a Ritual of Reconciliation" in school of the village Didinedzi of Zugdidi Municipality. The importance of mediation, conflict management and development of necessary skills - this was the aim of the training. In the first part, the participants talked about the historical role of mediation, drawing a parallel with today. The second part, the thematic block was devoted to the essence of mediation and a detailed discussion of the skills that a mediator should possess. In the third, practical part, the participants improved the theoretical material with role-playing games. Young people rated the training as timely and effective. The members of Didinedzi women initiative group spoke about the issues that have been resolved and those that need to be resolved in the community. The problem of drainage canals was revealed, as crops and plants are damaged during heavy rains. The women initiative group discussed the elaboration of an advocacy plan.
Women Fund Sukhumi's Tbilisi office representative, Ekaterine Gamakharia, was selected to participate in the Regional Training of Trainers on the Women, Peace, and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA) Compact in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 5-6. This event, organized by the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) and the OSCE WIN Project, brought together women peacebuilders and mediators from Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the South Caucasus.
On June 5, Ekaterine took part in a subregional meeting for South Caucasus women peacebuilders, where she engaged with OSCE and GNWP representatives to discuss the current situation in Georgia. She focused on the challenges posed by the "Foreign Agent Law" and its impact on women's participation, particularly for women peacebuilders. On June 6, during the hybrid event "Advancing Women’s Leadership in Women, Peace, and Security and Humanitarian Action: Assessing Progress and Charting the Way Forward," Ekaterine addressed regional progress and future strategies to ensure effective women's participation and leadership. The forum was attended by officials from the OSCE, UN Women, and the European Union.
The members of the youth group of the village Koki - Zugdidi municipality completed their work on the mini-project: "Hello, Abkhazia!", within the framework of this project various activities were carried out - a discussion on the topic of peace, meeting with peers, showing and analyzing a film. The aim of the project was to popularize the topic of peace. The members of the women initiative group worked on the topic of advocacy. The participants discussed the named problems. An advocacy plan was developed, according to which the group members will try to implement the process effectively.