The first meeting was held in Terjola. The first group of self-assistance was formed.
The project, which started with the support of the Equality Fund (Canada), includes lot of interesting things, and one of them is the creation of women's self-assistance groups in 10 municipalities.
In May, groups were formed in Terjola, Senaki, Chokhatauri, Samtredia, Tkibuli, Vani and Kobuleti. The women who gathered in these municipalities already understood the mission of the group, that they should facilitate the exchange of information about the services available for violence victims in the country. They can also advocate their problems. Municipal groups will do a lot of useful things together.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
The training course continues. The next five meetings were held in Chokhatauri, Tkibuli, Kobuleti, Vani and Bagdati municipalities. The meetings were active, interestin, with group work and effective feedback.
Guests from local governments, teachers, parents attend our trainings. According to them, such non-formal education is necessary in schools. They place particular emphasis on conflict management and other important issues that they work on during the training course.
10 meetings have already been held at Youth Empowerment Centers of 10 municipalities. Leaders have been identified in all groups and they will carry out the initiated activities in their schools.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The advocacy group of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" and Vani Gender Equality Council organized meetings in the schools of the villages Isriti and Salkhino. The meetings were attended by upper-graders, teachers and administration.
The meetings were very informative for the participants. They got acquainted with the work of the Fund "Sukhumi" and the services that the organization provides to women.
They also received information about the program of the City Hall Department for Children's Rights, which was presented by the coordinator and the inspector of the department. The Secretary of Gender Equality Council informed the audience about their work and plans. Participants identified a number of critical issues requiring immediate response. Further cooperation was planned during the meetings.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
We have good news - Ukrainian Maria Dobrovolskaya gave birth to a healthy boy in Kutaisi. They are already home, mother and baby feel well.
Another innovation: we were addressed by a volunteer of the program “Sonyashnik”, according to which 5 Ukrainian teenagers from 15 to 18 years old will be able to have an interesting time in a summer camp. The Women Fund "Sukhumi" helped them gather a group for free rest in the camp.
Currently we have 523 people in our database. 43 people were added in May.
This month, our support was shown in many ways:
- Food was provided to 30 families (63 people)
- 6 families received assistance in paying for housing
- We supported 6 families in paying utilities
- One Ukrainian woman was paid part of the cost of the operation, everything went well and she is getting better.
- Free psychological assistance for refugees from Ukraine continues
Maria Dobrovolskaya is 22 years old. She lived in Kyiv, during two months of war she was there and experienced all the horrors of the war. For a concrete period of time, the girl moved to Vinnitsa to her grandmother and then left for Poland. She worked for several months in Katowice and Lodz. In Katowice she met a Georgian man, got married and they came to Georgia together.
At first they were in the husband's family - in Svaneti, where they received the Ukrainian daughter-in-law warmly. Maria was pregnant when they moved to Kutaisi. Like many refugees from Ukraine, Maria's family was also assisted by the Women Fund “Sukhumi”. After the birth of the child, representatives of the Fund visited the mother and child, congratulated them with great joy and brought the necessary gifts for the child: clothes, hygiene products, diapers, food...
The young mother thanked the guests for their assistance and support, which is so important in such a difficult time.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Identification of IDP needs existing in their community and their advocacy in relevant departments is the main activity of Kutaisi Women Initiative Group.
Currently the group is advocating for infrastructure problems identified in three IDP settlements.
Representatives of the local self-government service got studied the problems and promised to help, in frames of their capabilities.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Local referral entities: members of the Gender Equality Council, existing in the City Council of the municipality, representatives of local self-government, the police and the social sphere, teachers and medical personnel gathered in the conference hall of Tkibuli Municipality City Hall
The meeting participants spoke about the facts of femicide, the problem of domestic violence and the importance of cooperation with local structures.
Attention was focused on ways of referencing, inter-agency cooperation and coordination that contribute to the prevention of violence.
During the meeting, there was a presentation on “National Referral Procedures for the Identification, Protection, Assistance and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence against Women and/or Domestic Violence (National Referral Mechanism)”.
Important issues were raised during the conversation: municipal statistics on arresting orders, identification of problems and assistance to the victims.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
A meeting organized by the Women Fund "Sukhumi" together with the Educational Resource Center on the topic "Local system of social partnership - cooperation between the education sector and the City Hall of the municipality" was held in the conference hall of public school N6 in Tkibuli. The experience of Tkibuli municipality is an example of a successful practice of decentralization of social work. However, according to the meeting participants, without a systematic dialogue between different groups of society, it is impossible to implement social policy according to the needs of beneficiaries and strengthen vulnerable families.
During the meeting, representatives of the Department for Children's Rights of the City Hall and the education sector exchanged important information that will contribute to social protection and empowerment of children and their families.
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)
Senaki Women Initiative Group started the advocacy of new problems. Group members actively worked with population to identify the priority of problems. As a result of collecting information, there were selected the problems, solution of which is the prerogative of local government.
Two issues were slected for the advocacy: landscaping of the yard and fencing of the children's stadium. The working group has already drawn up an advocacy plan, according to the plan, information regarding this issue together with the signatures has already been submitted to the municipality. The advocacy process will continue in accordance with the response.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
