Members of women's and youth groups of the villages Didinedzi and Koki - Zugdidi municipality join the international campaign 16 active Days against Violence. Within the framework of the international campaign, information meetings and workshops were held, with the discussion of the importance of raising women's awareness in terms of assisting victims of violence, the need to implement preventive measures, and access to state services. Many countries, including Georgia, are involved in the 16-day international campaign, which indicates that the issue is still relevant and the main mechanism for combating it is the unification of society against the problem.
Gogolesubani is a small village in Chokhatauri municipality. At the request of local women, our organization organized sewing courses and invited Nana Gogoladze, who lives in the same village, as a teacher. The women completed the two-month basic course with great enthusiasm. All of them are happy with the knowledge they received and are asking for more courses.
At the last lesson, an exhibition of works was organized and they were awarded certificates.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The Forum Theatre dedicated its December performances to the international campaign "16 active days against gender-based violence". The performances were held in Kutaisi Youth Center and in the open air.
Due to the general situation, trips to municipalities and schools are limited, so the last performances of the year were held only for Kutaisi audience.
The actors hope that the situation will change for the better from the New Year and the area of their performances will become more diverse.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The Women Fund "Sukhumi" monitoring brief, based on data collected from research conducted between May and October 2024, reviews the role and effectiveness of social workers in the prevention of and response to violence against women. The report highlights the challenges impacting the efficiency of social workers, including coordination difficulties with referral entities such as schools, kindergartens, medical institutions, and local self-government bodies, which hinder the timely identification of women at risk of violence and limit their access to necessary services.
Particular attention is given to the diverse responsibilities and functions of social workers, often leading to professional overload. The brief examines structural challenges, such as limited financial resources, insufficient staffing, and the lack of transportation, which severely affect the effectiveness of their work, particularly in the regions.
The monitoring also identifies successful practices, including the high level of trust between beneficiaries and social workers, close collaboration with municipal child rights protection departments, and effective cooperation with non-governmental organizations. The report draws on the experiences of social workers from the Imereti and Samegrelo regions (Kutaisi, Khoni, Baghdati, Samtredia, Zugdidi, Tsalenjikha municipalities), and provides recommendations aimed at strengthening social services, improving coordination, and enhancing overall effectiveness.
Introducing the latest brief report by the Women Fund "Sukhumi", which assesses the effectiveness of shelters and crisis centers while identifying critical gaps and challenges. The report highlights issues such as limited geographical accessibility, insufficient psychological and multilingual support services, and the absence of childcare options for young children—factors that hinder women survivors of domestic violence from fully utilizing these facilities. It also notes that the 2023 legislative amendments, which removed the "victim status" requirement for accessing services, have yet to be implemented in municipal programs, further limiting access to local support services.
The report emphasizes the need for effective monitoring and follow-up support mechanisms to facilitate the reintegration and independent living of women survivors after leaving shelters. It advocates for strengthening shelters systemically and developing sustainable, effective rehabilitation models to provide comprehensive assistance and safeguard the rights of women affected by violence.
Women Support Centers actively joined the International Campaign "16 Active Days against Gender – based Violence". At the initiative of the centers' mobilizers, activities of various formats were held: discussions-debates, drawing exhibitions, film screenings and presentations. It was noted that violence against women is a global problem and society must protest against it.
The 16-day campaign took place from November 25 to December 10, and all ten Women Support Centers participated in it.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Since 2001, the Women Fund "Sukhumi" has been participating in the international campaign "16 Active Days against Gender-Based Violence". Young people were especially active this year. Youth Empowerment Centers initiated events in Zugdidi, Senaki, Samtredia, Tskaltubo and Terjola municipalities. They are aware of their responsibility for creating a non-violent environment.
About 30 events were planned, but due to the difficult political situation in the country, is was not a large-scale campaign.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
- Thank you for presenting the results of your work. You are more dedicated to your work now than before. I admire your motivation and spirit. You work not only for your beneficiaries, but for the whole country. I am glad that we are your partners. Thank you for the partnership, - said Kim Kwibuka, the representative of our donor organization BrotfürdieWelt, at the end of the meeting.
During the meeting, the project participants presented our work from different sides.
With the support of a German organization, we have been working to empower women and girls in the municipalities of Western Georgia for 18 years, and we also are grateful for the long-term fruitful partnership.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Training on "Preparing Para specialists for Social Work" was held on November 29-30 in Kutaisi at the Hotel “Gelati Residence”. The training was attended by 20 women from ten municipalities of Western Georgia: mobilizers and women activists of the Women Support Centers of Vani, Terjola, Tskaltubo, Khoni, Samtredia, Senaki, Khobi, Zugdidi, Tsalenjikha, Chokhatauri.
The participants learned about the essence and importance of social work, received information about services and support programs at local and central levels. The received information will help them to work effectively in local communities to identify the groups under the risk of violence and vulnerable families. And also - to master the skills of a Para specialist, to strengthen the practice of providing consultations and assistance for a timely response to existing challenges.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
In frames of the International campaign "16 active days against gender-based violence", a group of Para-specialists of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" expressed their protest with a mini-action. This group was created to work in different communities to identify conflict families and risk groups. The activities of Para-specialists are aimed at preventing violence. That is why they actively participated in the 16-day campaign.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)