Protection of children's rights and local cooperation in terms of improving social services” - an information exchange meeting on this topic was held this time with the staff of preschool institutions of Kobuleti municipality. The event was attended by the head of the City Hall Department for the Protection of Children's Rights, the Chairman of the Gender Equality Council of the municipality, representatives of the Women Fund "Sukhumi".
The participants were familiarized with the specifics of the work of the new structure of the municipality - the City Hall Department for the Protection of Children's Rights, as well as with local programs. Information was provided on the monitoring carried out by the Fund "Sukhumi", which revealed positive practices and challenges that exist in different municipalities.
It was noted that some representatives of preschool institutions still do not understand their responsibility according to the law in terms of protecting children from violence. There were issues when communication with the City Hall Department for the Protection of Children's Rights is necessary.
Teachers of preschool institutions touched upon the painful issues of children with specific needs. There was an agreement on the topics of future cooperation.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Hello, I am Eleonora Kukava, a volunteer of the Fund "Sukhumi" and I would like to tell you about my "success formula".
I want to share with you the emotions and impressions that directly connect me with this project and the Fund "Sukhumi". First of all, which is very important, I would like to thank my trainers for giving me the opportunity to get information on very interesting issues. This project was a kind of challenge for me, which I think I successfully completed. I gained experience in writing projects and I was given the opportunity to implement a project written by our initiative group with the title: "A healthy lifestyle is our choice."
I participated in various activities, group work, attended trainings on various topics: "How to eliminate conflict," "Stereotypes and tolerance" and others, which I think turned out to be quite fruitful and successful. In the course of the trainings, we were visited by the "Forum Theater" of the Fund “Sukhumi”. In addition, we attended a civil forum in Kutaisi on the topic: "Promotion of peacebuilding by women and youth - to establish sustainable peace and security."
On October 6-9, the feminist forum "Body and Environment: Feminist Ideas and Practices of Organizing Care, Resistance, and Solidarity" was held.
During four days, together with queer and feminist activists, researchers, and forum participants, Representatives of Women's Fund "Sukhumi" - Nino Korinteli and Linda Chikhladze were involved in a process to created a safe space for the exchange and discussion of interdisciplinary, local, and regional knowledge and experiences.
Together with the WISG team, we also hope that these inspiring days will certainly lay the foundation for new opportunities for thinking, working, and collaborating. Among them, is to continue the forum's tradition of creating and transforming new spaces for queer feminist imagination, knowledge, and practice.
The Thematic Inquiry Group of the Gender Equality Council set up on the Access of Women to Financial Resources held a verbal hearing of the international and local organizations, thematic inquiry experts and civil activists expressing their positions on the issue and answering the questions of the main rapporteur of the inquiry.
Ekaterine Gamakharia – Representative of the Women Fund “Sukhumi” took part in the meeting of thematic inquiry group. In her speech, she focused on displaced and conflict-affected women and emphasized that ensuring women's access to financial resources is not only the most important factor in the country's development, the fight against poverty and violence against women, but it also has a great impact on peace building and restoring trust in the country.
"Today, it is not time for talks, it's for specific actions! Because while we talk about problems and complain, a large number of women are directly confronted with inequality, violence, outdated stereotypes and all the bitterness of economic dependence... Many of them have to fight to survive... Only economically strong women can take care of public welfare, contribute to the development of the country, fight against violence, and build sustainable and long-lasting peace"... - said Ekaterine Gamakharia.
During the meeting, the participants discussed specific ways to overcome the problems and shared their findings and recommendations to each other.
"Women's participation in public and political life and economic activity - existing barriers and opportunities" - this is the title of the report of the consolidated data of the research conducted by the Women Fund "Sukhumi" in six target municipalities.
The aim of the research was to study the attitudes of various society groups towards women’s participation in political and public life and economic activities. The attention was focused on views and stereotypes prevailing in society about women’s role, as well as on the barriers and facilitating factors.
The publication was prepared in the framework of the project: “Bridging the Gap: People to People -Initiatives for Conflict Resolution”.
The project is implemented with the support of the USAID
Marina prepared a beautiful and sweet Ukrainian dessert - Lviv syrnik and Anya - Kiev cutlets. Marina and Anya are Ukrainian psychologists who work in our organization and together with other women, they participated in the preparation of the Day of Ukrainian Cuisine at the Women Fund " Sukhumi on September 15. They believe that it turned out to be an interesting, pleasant and rehabilitative event.
Psychologists from Ukraine actively worked in September professional direction.
Anya Shalimova says that she met with members of four new families and with one family again. She conducted 12 individual consultations. Both regular clients and new ones were among them. There were also consultations with children and their parents.
“Ukrainians respond positively to the fact that I am also from Ukraine,” Anya says. - They are interested in what city I am from and how I survived the war. If the Ukrainians are from my hometown, then we are interested in concrete area we lived” (that is why two Ukrainian psychologists were invited to work with Ukrainian refugees).
On September 24-28, training for the young project participants on the importance and experience of establishing a youth forum-theatre was held in Istanbul.
Youth clubs from different regions and communities were actively involved in the working process. The participants gained knowledge about the founders of the Forum-theater, their role and importance in understanding current life problems and finding their solutions. The various exercises and tasks offered by the trainers made the training more creative, interesting and fun. The participants were able to independently prepare scenarios and stage small scenes. Young people acquired new knowledge, skills, experience, got acquainted with each other better, drafted future plans to introduce Forum- Theater in their clubs.
The project is implemented with the support of the USAID
Marina is 28. She was depressed after the death of her husband: “Life stopped, I didn’t know how to live. My mother cried with me. In this condition we were caught by my mother's friend, who advised us to address the psychologist of the Fund "Sukhumi". For almost 8 months, I learned to look at myself in a new way. Step by step, I was filled with hope. I don’t know how to express my gratitude not only for the return of a smile on my face, but also for the light in my mother’s eyes”...
Marina is one of the grateful beneficiaries of the psychologist. There are many of them in different municipalities of Western Georgia.
In September, the meetings of psychologist were held in the Women Support Centers of Vani, Chokhatauri, Senaki and Khurcha (Zugdidi municipality), also in Kobuleti - online. 23 beneficiaries took part in the group and individual meetings.
From September 19 until the end of the month, a comprehensive rehabilitation work was carried out with three women victims of domestic violence. They were placed in the Rehabilitation Center of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" with their children - there were 6 beneficiaries in total. A teacher, a social worker, a lawyer and a psychologist were included in the daily active work.
At the end of the rehabilitation course, one of the beneficiaries (she is 26 years old) said that she felt great support, she already knows that she is not alone. The days spent here gave her and other women more strength and they know how to work on their weaknesses. They received a lot of necessary information, positive, useful advice and decided to open a new page of their life with new power.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
