Sasha is seven years old, Kirill is eight, Artyom is 15, and Levan, whose mother is Ukrainian and father is Georgian, is ten.
These children often come to psychologist Manana Gotsiridze together with their mothers. Because they need help - the war has changed their way of life, their character...
Fear of loneliness, difficulties of adaptation, hyperactivity, isolation – the psychologist works on these problems with children from Ukraine.
In parallel with children, consultations are held with adults to “ventilate” negative emotions.
In December, the psychologist met with 14 Ukrainian refugees. These meetings, free psychological consultations, useful advice and assistance are especially valuable and necessary for them.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The Women's Fund 'Sukhumi' organized practical training for representatives of women's civil society organizations in Western Georgia. The training, led by Ekaterine Gamakharia, Head of the Tbilisi office of the Women's Fund 'Sukhumi,' focused on the theme 'Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in War and Post-War Settings.
During the training, participants acquired knowledge about common forms of gender-based violence in times of war and conflict. The session also involved discussions on the direct and indirect impacts of armed or violent conflicts on women, girls, and other vulnerable groups. Throughout the training, participants actively shared their personal experiences during the post-war period and engaged in discussions about strategies crucial for the effective protection of women from violence.
The training was organized by the WAVE network, including the 'Crisis Center for Victims of Sexual Violence' in Yerevan, Armenia; the Women's Fund “Sukhumi” in Kutaisi and Tbilisi, Georgia; and the 'United Women's Foundation Banja Luka' in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. They utilized a training module based on the 2022 toolkit “Preventing and responding to gender-based violence in war and post-war settings: experiences and recommendations of women's NGOs.”
The guide is available at the following link: https://wave-network.org/toolkit-prevention-response-gbv-war/?fbclid=IwAR03LQ8QeKi3hM6de-O3nugIL8RdShWbYQ76tAA48o2YRefI4PY65ZVwwxg
At the traditional December meeting of Khoni Youth Club, the members discussed the activities carried out within the framework of 16-day campaign against gender-based violence and planned future activities. The head of Kutaisi violence victim service of the State Care and Assistance Agency for Victims of Trafficking met the members of the first group of women in Khoni. Representatives of the City Hall and City Council and members of the Gender Council attended the meeting together with the women. Nino Khonelidze informed the audience about the existence of shelters and crisis centers for victims of violence, their functioning, and in general, the problems of violence victims. As for the second women initiative group of Khoni, they discussed the activities carried out within the framework of the 16-day campaign against violence and planned the activities to be implemented in the future.
The women initiative group of the village Koki - Zugdidi municipality summarized the activities carried out within the framework of the 16-day campaign against gender-based violence during December meeting. The meeting was attended by the coordinator of the department for the protection of children’s rights of Zugdidi City Hall and the representative of the social and health service. They presented information about local programs. As for the youth initiative group, they were trained on the topic of peace and peace negotiations. The participants participated in the training through role-playing games and talked about what is necessary for the successful conduct and conclusion of the peace negotiations.
Training on the topic “Women’s leadership, self-presentation, public speech” was held in Senaki, in the IDP village.
Leaders and women activists from 15 different homeowners’ associations took part in the training. They were given information about leadership qualities and important skills that are necessary for the leader.
The second part was even more interesting - about self-presentation and public speech.
The participants actively participated in the discussion of the topic with their stories and practical examples. According to them, the training was useful, and the knowledge gained will be reflected in their practical activities.
The work is carried out in partnership with the Center “Abkhazeti” within the framework of the project “Support of the conflict transformation in the South Caucasus and Moldova”.
The members of Senaki youth group were actively involved in the 16-day international campaign. At their initiative, an information meeting was held on the topic: early marriage and its consequences, an action was held in the IDP settlement, a film screening and discussion was prepared. Club members distributed thematic flyers and information leaflets. The women initiative group was also actively involved in the campaign. At their initiative, two workshops were held on the topic: family conflicts and their management, victim support services. The members of the group reminded the public that violence against women is a crime.
In the framework of the 16-day campaign against gender-based violence, the Fund "Sukhumi" continues free medical examinations and consultations for women. Within the framework of the campaign, with the support of the City Hall of Tsalenjikha Municipality, and as part of the state program, the Women's Health Center LTD "Hera" carries out cancer screening. The free screening includes: breast cancer screening for the ages of 40 to 70, examination by a radiologist or mammologist; mammographic examination. Examinations were held for women living in the municipality. Tamar Belkania, the deputy Mayor of Tsalenjikha municipality observed the process.
“Leadership, presentation, public speech” - an interesting training on this topic was held in Kutaisi with representatives of the homeowners’ association of the IDP community.
The aim of the training was to explain the essence of leadership and understand own leadership qualities, to familiarize with the skills of presentation and self-presentation and with the basics of public speech and their use in practice.
During the group work, participants shared their experiences with each other and demonstrated leadership abilities when working with a team.
“We were given the opportunity to use the practical exercises and once again see how ready we are for leadership, what qualities are necessary for a good leader, and how to achieve positive changes in society,” mentioned the participants.
The work is carried out in partnership with the Center “Abkhazeti” within the framework of the project “Support of the conflict transformation in the South Caucasus and Moldova”.
Workshops with different target groups, discussions of the topic of violence - with these types of activities, Tskaltubo women initiative group was involved in the 16-day campaign against gender-based violence. The members of the youth initiative group also joined the campaign with various events. They raised actual issues - women's rights, early marriage, gender violence, rights of disabled people, and organized an exhibition of paintings. Protest against gender-based violence was shown in the presentations and discussions prepared by young people
