Psychological consultations and psychotherapeutic sessions are part of the assistance that our organization provides to refugees from Ukraine.
The psychologist of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”, Manana Gotsiridze, actively worked with these people in November. Many years of experience in psycho-rehabilitation of IDPs helps her to understand the emotions of Ukrainians and to choose the best method to work with them. This is why the beneficiaries express pleasure when communicating with her.
During a month, representatives of 6 families contacted a psychologist, and 18 people received consultations. Three of them attend individual psychotherapy sessions.
According to them, this is a great support for Ukrainians living in Kutaisi.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
There is a beautiful village - Pirveli maisi (first of May) in Khobi municipality. Our psychologist Manana Gotsiridze visited the village for the first time to talk with women working in the kindergarten.
The initiator of the meeting, Nino Uridia, is the mobilizer of the Women Support Center. After the meeting, she said that she did not expect so much benefit from one meeting. Women Support Center was recently opened in Khobi, and there is little information about the benefits of psychological consultations.
At the end of the meeting, the women mentioned:
- How quickly time flew by. I wanted to talk and listen more.
- I learned so many interesting and useful things.
- I looked at life in different way, reevaluated my priorities.
- I thought about my behavior, emotions, what I do and how it affects me.
- Thanks to everyone who prepared this meeting and especially to the psychologist.
- Please, visit us more often.
In addition to this meeting, the psychologist conducted 14 psychotherapeutic sessions in Kutaisi and 11 individual online consultations with beneficiaries living in different regions. She talked to one boy individually and, with the help of art therapy, helped him adapt to school and overcome his fear of failure.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The Ukrainians who came to us have many problems. The assistance with vouchers that our organization provides is a support for them. But support is also provided in another way: utility bills were paid for 2 families, assistance in paying for apartment rent was provided to 7 families, and telephone communication costs were paid for one family.
Medicines worth 400 GEL were purchased for one of the cancer patients. Another one was paid for doctor’s communication.
One of the refugees, living in Tkibuli, asked for help in purchasing a heating device, and this issue will be resolved soon.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The Women Fund “Sukhumi” opened the international information campaign “16 active days against gender-based violence” a day earlier.
November 24. 19.00.
Kutaisi. Stadium named after Ramaz Shengelia – “Shengelia Arena”.
Match between “Torpedo” Kutaisi and “Dinamo” Tbilisi.
And... the most unusual and special:
The entire “Torpedo” team came out wearing white T-shirts with the slogan of our campaign: “Break the silence! Stop the violence”!
The footballers carried this slogan in the form of a large banner.
“Torpedo” Kutaisi has been the face of the 16-day campaign before - in 2003 and 2013.
In 2003, the action also took place at the stadium before the match with “Dinamo” Tbilisi. Then the players carried a long white ribbon into the stadium with the slogan: “Violence is evil! Let's unite against violence against women”!
This was quite a serious demonstration and an unusual action for that time!
As a result of the efforts of our and other organizations, society has realized that violence goes beyond the problem of one family and has more harmful consequences than we think. Three years later, in 2006, the Georgian parliament adopted a law against domestic violence...
From November 20 to 22, a working meeting was held among the network members at the Ambassador Hotel Kachreti within the framework of GIZ's global program 'Shaping Development-Oriented Migration Policy.
At the meeting, our representative, Linda Chikhladze, shared the experiences of the Women's Fund 'Sukhumi' with the participants.
In recent months, Ukrainians receive vouchers from the Women Fund “Sukhumi”. Depending on the number of family members, one, two or three vouchers worth 100 GEL are issued. Within a month, they can use vouchers to buy necessary products. As Ukrainians note, this system is convenient and practical for them.
In November, 32 families received assistance in the form of vouchers. There are currently 370 people in our database who receive our support. 13 new beneficiaries were added this month.
Although our organization cannot solve many of the challenges and needs of Ukrainian refugees, they greatly appreciate our support.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Raising awareness about the harmfulness of alcohol and drugs addiction among teenagers - Kutaisi women initiative group is working on this topic as part of the advocacy process. How to give correct information to young people - psychotherapist, narcologist Vakhtang Sikharulidze talked about this issue, according to the participants, it is necessary to hold similar meetings in schools. During the meeting of Kutaisi Youth Club, the members received information about the 16-day international campaign against gender-based violence. The participants identified various activities that the club will implement within the campaign.
In Chisinau, Moldova, Ekaterine Gamakharia, Head of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" representative office in Tbilisi, was honored to lead the Fireside event at a workshop with the inspiring Women's Advisory Board (WAB) for the Moldova Peace Talks, organized by the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) and UN Women. The workshop aimed at empowering WAB members with enhanced advocacy and negotiation skills, specifically addressing the Transnistrian Settlement Process. During the Fireside event, Ekaterine shared experiences of women activists' involvement in Georgia's peace processes, providing a detailed overview of the dynamic of cooperation between peace talks delegates and women's organizations. The session was open, interactive, and filled with enriching discussions.
"I believe in the power of shared experiences and knowledge exchange. Moldovan and Georgian women peace activists can learn from each other, reinforcing our collective commitment to building a more peaceful and inclusive world," said Ekaterine, reflecting on her visit.
Members of Senaki Women Initiative Group held their next planned meeting. The meeting participants evaluated their activities. They reviewed the list of identified issues and talked about the prospects for unresolved problems.
According to the participants, teamwork, gender sensitivity, and a well-designed advocacy plan contributed to solving various problems. Based on the gained experience, work on long-term problems will be continued in future.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
