“Today I understood what rights we have and who we should contact if necessary. Proper communication and action are very important.”

“The training showed me the importance of women leadership. I also envisaged my own resources in the process of advocating for issues.”

“Sometimes we don’t even know about municipal programs, sometimes our needs are greater than it is included in the local government budget. Such trainings create our correct civic position.”

These were the feedbacks from the participants at the end of the training. Women and IDP girls living in Kutaisi, attended a training on a actual topic: “Women’s leadership, forms of communication, mechanisms of civic engagement.”

The participation of IDP women in the local policy-making process will significantly increase as a result of the activities planned in frames of the project.

The project is implemented with the support of  USAID local governance program

The meeting of the working group was attended by IDP women and girls living in different communities of Kutaisi.

During the meeting, problems of the target communities were identified and prioritized: the number of stray dogs; rehabilitation of the square and sports ground; problem with cleaning; rehabilitation of the internal road, lack of street lighting, failure of the drainage system.

The collaborative efforts of the working group lay the foundation for focused actions and decisions. The involvement and enthusiasm of the participants reflects the collective responsibility to overcome challenges and improve the quality of life in the IDP settlements of Kutaisi.

The project is implemented with the support of  USAID local governance program

During the meeting of Kutaisi working group, the problems of the target communities were identified and prioritized.

The meeting was attended by IDP women and girls living in different communities of Kutaisi. They noted acute problems: damaged roofs or facades, lack of balconies, damp walls, internal roads... Particular attention was paid to the fact that there is no mini-stadium in the settlement, and there are no garbage bins.

In the framework of the project, and with the help of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”, will meet with decision-makers in order to advocate for the identified problems.

The project is implemented with the support of  USAID local governance program

“Women’s leadership, forms of communication, mechanisms of civil inclusion” - a training on this topic for IDP women and girls living in different communities of Kutaisi was held at the office of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”.

Lack of information, migration, passivity, irresponsibility, lack of time, indifference – participants noted that this is a short list of factors, that hinders civic engagement at the local level.

During the training, the participants talked about how to improve leadership skills, the quality of communication and motivation in order to increase the participation of citizens in the formation of local policies.

From the feedbacks of participants:

“It was a very interesting training.”

“A leader can’t do anything without a team, and vice versa, so everyone needs to use their abilities to do the general work”.

“I received the necessary information and became familiar with the forms of citizen participation”.

“I often use the gained knowledge”.

The project is implemented with the support of  USAID local governance program

“Women's leadership, forms of communication, mechanisms of civic engagement” – IDP women and girls attended the training on these topics. It was attended by 20 people from different IDP communities.

The training was aimed at empowering women by awareness raising. Participants discussed the characteristics of leadership from a personal view. They gave arguments for necessary qualities that woman needs for successful leadership. In the process of group work, they recorded factors that hinder women’s activity.

Participants also heard information about forms of civic participation: they recalled practical examples, about forms and methods of communication with local government, how involved they are in the process of forming local policy and what is the degree of their involvement.

According to the participants, the information received at the training and the support of the Fund “Sukhumi” will help them to be more motivated and actively use forms of civic engagement to solve their problems.

The project is implemented with the support of  USAID local governance program

The meeting participants - women and girls living in Kutaisi, in various IDP settlements - spoke about the priority problems and tasks that they have accumulated in their communities over the years. The list of main issues included infrastructure problems: faulty drainage system, water in basements, damaged condition of facades and roofs, etc. Access to health services (for reproductive, oncologic needs and people with disabilities) was also emphasized. Young people noted that there are no sports grounds and squares in many places.

The meeting participants decided that they would attend meetings of the City Council and actively participate in the local decision-making process in order to contribute to solving identified problems in IDP communities.

The project is implemented with the support of  USAID local governance program

A meeting was held at the Women Fund “Sukhumi”. The meeting was attended by women and girls living in compact IDP settlements of Kutaisi. The problems of various IDP communities were identified and prioritized during the working group meeting

The participants discussed pressing issues in the format of a general discussion. As a result, two high-priority problems were selected, advocacy for which will be carried out using various mechanisms for involving citizens.

The project is implemented with the support of  USAID local governance program

Training on the topic “Women’s leadership, forms of communication, mechanisms of civil inclusion” was conducted with participation of IDP women and girls, members of the target working group living in different communities of Kutaisi.

The training program consisted of a lecture part and practical exercises. Participants were given the opportunity to work in groups on the following issues: what hinders civic engagement at the local level, how to increase the motivation of citizens to increase their involvement in the formation of local politics.

Participants interactively shared their experiences, positions and views on the topics discussed. It was noted that the topics of the training were important and necessary for them: “I began to think about leadership qualities, reconsidered my abilities, and discovered new resources.”

“We received very interesting information and got acquainted with the forms of attracting citizens. It is necessary that as many people as possible know about this.”

“I will definitely use the acquired knowledge in practice. I feel responsible and will be more actively involved in the ongoing processes of the municipality.”

The project is implemented with the support of  USAID local governance program

A training on "Violence prevention and victim support resources" was held with the members of Senaki Women Initiative Group. The participants received information about the activities of shelters for violence victims, the crisis center and victim assistance services. The members of Senaki youth group discussed issues of gender equality. According to them, breaking gender stereotypes will help to build an equal society, and the involvement of young people is necessary in the process.

The members of the Women Initiative Group of the village Pakhulani - Tsalenjikha municipality conduct a research "Assessment of the quality of human security " in frames of which focus groups and interviews are conducted.