October was especially busy in Women Support Centers. The meeting participants highlighted specific cases and spoke about the combined reasons of violence. Almost all groups highlighted the negative consequences of early marriage, which is an echo of the tragedy that happened in Sagarejo. Participants emphasized the need for education and informing.
“It is necessary to raise awareness, we need to work more on stereotypes,” the participants believe and talk about holding an information campaign.
As a result of the work of mobilizers, five new cases were identified in October. Beneficiaries will use all services of the und “Sukhumi”.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The forum theater held two performances in the central parks of Kutaisi. The audience took part in discussions. The topic of domestic violence was the most actively discussed. This is a clear confirmation that this problem is relevant to society.
The group of actors of the Forum Theater was replenished with new members, and their training started. In parallel with the performances, young people carry out active rehearsals.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
About 80 boxes arrived from Tbilisi - clothes, toys, shoes, school supplies.
Employees of the Women Fund “Sukhumi” packed gifts for several days. The gifts were selected by age and season. We received this gift from the organization Women for Justice (donor - OrphanGrainFoundation).
Our organization did charity work independently. And now we have received serious support and will distribute clothes as gifts to the beneficiaries of the rehabilitation center, activists of Women Support Centers and members of mutual-support groups.
The beneficiaries of our rehabilitation center expressed their gratitude:
“A gift is always welcome and timely. At the same time, it has high quality and is very practical. It will be useful for both me and my boys.”
“My children and I often have problems with clothing. Good, kind people help us. We are very pleased with this gift."
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Meetings with the psychologist of the Women Fund “Sukhumi” were held in Women Support Centers of Vani, Kobuleti, Chokhatauri, Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha municipalities. The meetings were held mainly in a group format - there were also online meetings and individual meetings based on the needs of children.
The main topic of the meetings was: “What are the characteristics of a rapist.” It was noted that perhaps most of them did not have sufficient support and upbringing in childhood, they had low self-esteem, and were socially isolated. When a person's self-satisfaction is low, he needs emotional support from others.
The main focus of the psychologist's meetings was family relationships, the relationship between husband and wife... The conversation on these topics turned out to be interesting for the meeting participants.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The Women Fund “Sukhumi” held a round table in Kobuleti municipality with the participation of representatives of local referral entities (organized by the gender council of the municipality).
Participants talked about prevention of violence and protection of violence victims, discussed the current situation regarding domestic violence and issues of social cooperation.
The main emphasis was placed on partnership of local structures to solve the problem of domestic violence.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Gender, gender-based violence, identification of violence, communication with a child and referral stages, legal mechanisms and international documents, the role of teachers in violence prevention - these issues were discussed at a training held for teachers in Kutaisi, in the office of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”.
Participants represented 6 municipalities (Chokhatauri, Vani, Khoni, Zugdidi, Tskaltubo and Bagdati). They actively participated in the work process, discussions and shared their experiences with each other.
It was noted that the training participants will introduce gender approaches into their schools and will contribute to the destruction of stereotypes and the prevention of violence.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
New youth groups started working in October. The trainings were held in Youth Empowerment Centers of Khobi, Terjola, Samtredia, Senaki and Vani municipalities.
During first meetings, the participants got acquainted with each other and discussed interesting topics. They actively participated in training process, talked about their initiatives and activities that they would implement in frames of the course. Several teachers and parents attended the meetings.
The trainers hope that six months of working with the new groups will be as fruitful as the previous ones.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The new social clip from the Women's Fund "Sukhumi" reflects the essential strategies and actions determining the effectiveness of preventing domestic violence against women. It represents the main direction of our organization's work.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALA), with the support of the United Nations Women's Organization and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, organized a national conference titled "Gender Equality Agenda at the Local Level: Main Challenges and Action Steps." Heads of municipalities, representatives from legislative and executive authorities, as well as international and local civil society organizations, participated in the high-level conference.
The representative of the Women's Fund "Sukhumi," Ekaterine Gamakharia, attended the conference. During the discussion, she emphasized the necessity to enhance the role of children's rights protection departments and mayors' representatives in villages. There is a need to strengthen the link between these entities to better inform women, introduce local policies tailored to their needs, and address issues of women at the local level. Additionally, she highlighted the importance of implementing effective mechanisms for the prevention and protection of domestic violence.
It is noteworthy that at the conclusion of the conference, with NALA's advocacy, five additional Georgian municipalities signed the European Charter on the Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. This brings the total to 26 self-governing units that have joined the charter thus far. This time, the self-governing units of Zugdidi, Zestaponi, Chokhatauri, Samtredia, and Baghdati joined the document, thereby affirming their willingness and support for the principles of gender equality in their municipalities.
The event, titled "Extended Advocacy Meeting to Address the Urgent Needs of IDPs and Conflict-affected Women and Youth," was held at Tbilisi Rooms Hotel. It was organized by UN Women Georgia and civil society partner organizations, including the Association of Internally Displaced Women "Consent," Women's Information Center, and Women's Fund "Sukhumi."
Representatives from national and local government, as well as the Public Defender, took part in the event. This included attendees from the National Association of Local Self-Governments of Georgia, local authorities from target municipalities. Additionally, international organizations, donor organizations operating in Georgia, international non-governmental organizations focusing on the agenda of women, peace, and security, the private sector - companies that have endorsed the principles of women's empowerment, local women's organizations, and community leaders among internally displaced and conflict-affected women, were present at the meeting.
The meeting centered around the key activities outlined in the National Action Plan and the well-being of internally displaced and conflict-affected women and youth residing along the dividing line and in IDP settlements.