Fund "Sukhumi" continues to be actively involved in the 16-day global campaign violence against women.

We are sharing a video prepared by the Tbilisi office, which reflects the public attitude towards violence against women and also, you will hear the real story of the victim of violence from the research of the Fund "Sukhumi" - “Monitoring of Services for the Victims - Support Services for Victims of Domestic Violence and Existing Challenges”.

The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot

 für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)

- There are women around us who live with these problems. Information should reach every family and every woman should feel that she is not alone in case of violence – this is the opinion of meeting participants. They will spread the received information in different communities and thus help to prevent the cases of domestic violence.

Monthly information meetings in Bagdati, Koki (Zugdidi Municipality), Samtredia, were attended by representatives of various communities. According to the mobilizers of the Women Support Centers, the society still needs information on issues of violence in order to properly assess the results.

The meetings promoted to identify cases of violence. The number of people, who need help, was increased. The psychologist and the lawyer of the Women Fund “Sukhumi” started working on specific cases identified in Koki and Bagdati.

The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot

 für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)

The last meetings of the six-month training course of the Youth Empowerment Centers were held. The meetings were attended by 97 participants from Samtredia, Bagdati, Terjola, Tkibuli and Vani municipalities.

The high interest of the participants to the topic “Ways of conflict resolution, norms of ethics and aesthetics, relationships between parents and children, problems and reasons”. was obvious.

Summarizing event will be held in March, which will be attended by representatives from all ten municipalities. Young people will continue to work actively in their schools - 10 leaders from 5 centers will make presentations and share their knowledge with groups of students.

Children's letters to parents were special in this month. The trainers asked the participants to write a message for their parents, to express their love, thoughts, wishes ... Quite large and good material was collected and will be published on our website as a success story.

The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot

 für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)

“I had complexes”... you watch her, talk to her and you can not imagine that five years ago she was modest and afraid to appear before the audience.

She has achieved much in these five years! Even a simple list will show you how much work and diligence is behind these successes:

Irma Bregadze – student of 11^th rade of Zeda Simoneti Public School, active participant of the projects of Terjola Municipality Youth Center, organizer of youth events of the Women Fund "Sukhumi", semifinalist of the program FLEX, member of the theatrical troupe of MAC Georgia...

Let’s follow Irma's path to success step by step.

Irma Bregadze: “I was in the 6^th grade when we were told to start working on the topic of conflicts. I became interested and attended. I remembered the very first lesson. This was my direct contact with the Fund "Sukhumi", when trainer Lela Shengelia conducted a ten-module training course on conflict management".

The Tbilisi office of the Women's Fund "Sukhumi" was established in 2019. Its main goal is:

• Institutional strengthening of the organization;
• Raising visibility of organization through the meetings with representatives of government agencies, international and non-governmental organizations;
• Fundraising;
• Leading evidence-based advocacy at the national, regional, and the local levels and ensuring that organizational learning is shared with key stakeholders externally to inform policy;
• Initiate legislative or institutional changes necessary to achieve gender equality in the political and public life of the country, to increase the role and importance of women in society and the family;
• Developing different approaches and strategies to facilitate the peaceful resolution/transformation of the conflicts in Georgia and ensuring women's participation in the peace process;
• Assessing needs of conflict affected and internally displaced (IDP) women and girls and advocating for the solution of their plight at the international, national and the local levels;
• Developing cooperation with media representatives to maximize coverage of organization’s achievements, services offered, ongoing projects and the existing challenges of the Fund “Sukhumi”s beneficiaries.

Fund "Sukhumi" gathered the local referral unities in Khoni and Lanchkhuti municipalities at an online round table: representatives of local self-government and police, members of the Gender Equality Council, social services, teachers attended the meeting. Presentation of the research was held at the meeting. The presentation in terms of monitoring the services available to victims was held by the Fund “Sukhumi”.

The meeting focused on the situation with the identification and assistance of victims of violence throughout the municipality. Round table participants also received information on the new website "Digital Resource Center for Victims of Violence", which contains useful and necessary information.

The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot

 für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)

Sophio Gvilava and Sophio Gvasalia did not know how to sew at all. Dariko Jinjolava, Guranda Dzadzua and Zhana Arkania did the elementary things. Maka Saria's mother sewed and she also tried. Everyone wanted to study, but it was just a desire ... These young women live in Tskhoushi (Pakhulani community of Tsalenjikha municipality), none of them works, they take care of their families and children.

All of them were the activists of the Fund “Sukhumi” Women Support Center. They attended information and consultation meetings. Pakhulani Women Support Center has been here, near the conflict dividing line, for years. Mobilizer Marika Megrelidze gathered many women and was able to solve many problems. When the Fund “Sukhumi” conducted a needs research in the municipality, it turned out that there was no sewing shop here.

Before the other way appears, the Fund opened a day rehabilitation center in Tskhoushi. A part of the building was given to the center by the shop owner. Sewing machines, cloth, threads were brought from Kutaisi.

Findings and recommendations in the monitoring report of the Women's Fund "Sukhumi" - "Development of Child Care Services - to Promote Women's Employment and Ensure Effective Prevention and Response to Domestic Violence" were presented to the representative of the State Employment Promotion Agency - Ana Bendeliani by representatives of the Tbilisi office - Nino Korinteli and Linda Chikhladze.

At the meeting, both parties were allowed to share their experiences. Representatives of the Fund "Sukhumi" focused on the specific needs for the employment of vulnerable women, which are discussed in detail in our study, and also talked about the barriers that our beneficiaries face daily.

The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot

 für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)

Working on IDP issues is one of the directions of the Women Fund "Sukhumi". A coalition project has been launched in five municipalities of western Georgia. The title of the project is:

Strengthening the capacities of the regional and local administrations in the processes of localization of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and enhancing the meaningful participation of IDP and conflict-affected women and youth in those processes.

The aim of the project is to support the development of local government capacity, especially with IDPs and conflict-affected population, to be more actively involved in the localization of the National Action Plan of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 for Women, Peace and Security.

"There is a lot to talk about this topic, domestic violence harms not only one person, one family, but a significant part of society. It should be perceived by everyone. "

"Violence does not like delay, on the contrary, a timely response is necessary".

Such opinions were expressed by the participants of the information meeting held at the Women Support Centers in Chokhatauri, Terjola, Tkibuli and Samtredia.

Mobilization meetings help participants to have as much information as possible about services and mechanisms to respond to facts of violence. Meetings help to raise public awareness. Which is an important step in terms of violence prevention.

The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot

 für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)