“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

IDP Women – at a working meeting

  • Sunday, 25 February 2024
  • 10 times

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

Meeting of the working group in Kutaisi

  • Sunday, 25 February 2024
  • 28 times

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

Training on civil inclusion

  • Sunday, 25 February 2024
  • 25 times

“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

Financial support for Ukrainians who came to Georgia as a result of the war is very important, in order to start something that will give the family stability... Therefore, they participate in various grant competitions in order to receive the necessary funding to start a small business.

This is how some of our beneficiaries started their own businesses. Recently, with the support of various organizations, trainings were held for Ukrainian refugees. Participants learned to formulate business ideas and write projects. This time, two women will receive grants: Irina Khalupka and Natalya Krivitskaya. Irina will do eyelash extensions, and Natalya will do photography.

We believe that young women entrepreneurs will successfully run their businesses - before returning to Ukraine...

The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot

 für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)

Decision of the meeting participants

  • Saturday, 24 February 2024
  • 26 times

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

Meetings with medical staff

  • Friday, 23 February 2024
  • 20 times

Informational meetings with medical staff on the topic “Violence against women and domestic violence - the role of doctors in violence prevention and victim assistance” were held in Tskaltubo, Terjola, Tsalenjikha, Senaki, Khoni, Kutaisi and Samtredia municipalities. The meetings were attended by: family doctors, emergency doctors, medical staff working in clinics and rural outpatient clinics.

The conversation touched on the law on combating violence against women/domestic violence, as well as referrals and specifically the role of medical personnel in identifying victims of violence and assisting the victims.

The meeting also included a presentation of the publication of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”, “Practical Guide to Responding to Gender-Based Violence for Representatives of Medical Institutions.”

The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)

We are pleased to present the Women Fund “Sukhumi” Rapid Assessment Report: “Municipal Interagency Commissions on Gender Equality, Violence Against Women, and Domestic Violence: Best Practices and Current Challenges”. The document aims to evaluate the relevance of establishing inter-agency commissions to improve collaboration and coordination between state agencies in tackling the issues related to violence against women and domestic violence. It additionally aims to assess the institutional capacities of existing commissions, their accomplishments, and the challenges they encounter.

Based on the research data, it is evident that interagency commissions have a crucial role in coordinating mechanisms for the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence. This is demonstrated by the actions of interagency commissions that have already been formed in several target municipalities. The commissions facilitate more effective local referral procedures, communication, and coordination among stakeholders involved in managing incidents of violence.

However, the analysis of challenges revealed that to establish meaningful changes, it is important to formalize the inter-agency commission further. This requires developing an articulated strategy and leveraging and implementing examples of good practices, both local and international. Additionally, raising awareness among municipality representatives and the general population, ensuring proper delineation of responsibilities with the Gender Equality Council, and encouraging involvement from representatives of diverse agencies in commission activities are essential.

The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot

 für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)

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