On November 9, an evaluation workshop was held at the office of the Fund “Sukhumi”. Women initiative groups of Kutaisi, Tskaltubo, Khoni, Senak, Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha evaluated the results of four years of work. What was the impact of the project activities on society and the country, what changed in their community - individual groups worked in this direction. Four years of work had positive results, which the members of the group received in different directions. The contours of the future project were outlined in their proposals. It first of all, involves the strengthening of work in the direction of peace. During the evaluation, the participants expressed positive opinions. "Four years is a long time to change! We feel this change, we have also affected the environment and therefore I think this project has done a good job. "Informing, activating the peace community, advocacy - we were all equally involved in all these processes." "We became stronger and were able to strengthen others. We activated topics that were not discussed before. "- these are short assessments of those involved in the project. The meeting was held within the framework of the project "bridging the gap, people-to-people initiatives for conflict resolution", funded by the USAID.

On November 8, a project evaluation workshop was held at the office of the Fund "Sukhumi". Leaders of all seven youth initiative groups created in the municipalities of Kutaisi, Khoni, Tskaltubo, Senaki, Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha participated in it. Youth groups evaluated the results of four years of work. • Empowerment of young people - trainings • Initiatives and sub-grants • Peace building The comments of the participants are positive. "Participation in the project played an important role in my formation as a leader. I was able to plan and organize activities on my own, it gave me a great motivation, I overcame the complexes that prevented me from being bolder and more active." "My involvement in the Georgian-Abkhazian-Ossetian meetings showed me very well how important the role of young people is in peace activities. This project gave us an opportunity to deepen our communication and relationship." The positive impact of the project was reflected in the works of the participants. The project "Bridging the gap People-to-People Initiatives for Conflict Resolution" is funded by USAID and has been implemented since 2021. The project is coming to its end.     

 Linda Chikhladze - cyber security trainer of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" conducted a workshop on the topic - digital security (violence against women in the online space) with the members of Khoni women initiative groups. The participants of the event had the opportunity to discuss today's threats in the digital space and learn about prevention mechanisms. The event included practical work, which the participants successfully completed. The similar meeting was held with the members of the second group of Khoni. The participants noted that it is important for them to have information about the threats that exist in the digital space today. At the meeting held in October, the leader of the youth club gave a presentation on the topic: "International Day of Girls and October 15 - International Day of Rural Women". Young people got heard the real stories and challenges of rural women. They talked about the problems and issues of rural women in their community. New members joined the club.

During the meeting the members of Tskaltubo youth group spoke about the International Day of women. In their presentation, it was heard why the topic of gender equality is important, in which issues girls are vulnerable and how to protect them. The members of the women initiative group celebrated the rural women's day at the meeting held in October. Club members received information about the establishment of the international date, talked about the problems and challenges faced by rural women.

The October meeting of Kutaisi women initiative group started differently. They heard each other's success stories and the way to success. The second issue related to the activity outlined in the advocacy plan, which envisages informational meetings with teenagers about the dangers of alcohol and drugs.The leader of Kutaisi Youth Club made a presentation on the topic: "October 15 - International Day of Women Living in Rural Areas." Young people received information about the establishment of the international day. They got acquainted with the statistics of Imereti region about women living in rural areas. They talked about the problems and challenges of rural women in their community. New members were added to the club. In order to bring them closer, informative and fun exercises were conducted.

 The members of the women initiative group of the village Pakhulani - Tsalenjikha municipality held a meeting. Attention was paid to the importance of the role of women in the process of country development. They talked about the difficult conditions of women living in rural areas and their unappreciated work. The participants noted that it is necessary to support, encourage, promote and enlighten the daily life of women. The meeting was interesting. Future plans were discussed.

Training with the members of the women initiative group on the topic "Digital security in the context of violence against women" was held In Senaki. Participants heard information about what types of cyber threats exist and how they are used against women. They learned how to protect personal data. During the meeting, the members of the youth initiative group celebrated the international day of girls and women living in rural areas, the members of the club focused on the rights of women and girls.

 

On October 8, a training organized by the Women Fund "Sukhumi", was held with young people in the public school of the village Koki - Zugdidi municipality. The topic of the meeting was: "Mediation as a Ritual of Reconciliation”. The aim of the training was to make the young people understand the importance of mediation, to develop the necessary skills on how to manage conflict with these methods. Members of Koki Youth Club attended the training. In the first part, a small historical speech was made on how mediation was used in the distant past. Parallels were also drawn between mediation, legal frameworks and the present day. The second part of the training was devoted to the essence of mediation and a detailed discussion of the skills that a mediator should be equipped with. In the third part, role-playing games were conducted, which allowed the participants to practically prove the theoretical materials received. The participants evaluated the training positively. At another working meeting the members of Koki women initiative group talked about the role of rural women in the development of the country. According to the participants, it is important to promote and appreciate them. The meeting was dedicated to the International Day of Rural Women, which is celebrated on October 15.

On October 4, cyber security trainer Linda Chikhladze conducted a workshop on digital security with women and youth initiative groups of the village Didinedzi - Zugdidi municipality. The workshop discussed the topic of personal data protection in social networks, the importance of complex passwords, phishing threats and practically reviewed the issues of double authentication.

Women’s Fund “Sukhumi” is pleased to presents its new monitoring brief titled “Support Services for Women Domestic Violence Survivors: Accessibility and Barriers.” This document is based on qualitative and quantitative research conducted by the Fund "Sukhumi"  during May-October 2024, in which over 600 respondents were interviewed across 11 target municipalities: Chokhatauri, Kobuleti, Tskaltubo, Kutaisi, Khoni, Terjola, Samtredia, Senaki, Zugdidi, Tsalenjikha, Khobi.

The brief reflects part of the research findings related to the accessibility of support services for women survivors of violence and the public’s attitude towards these services. It analyzes whom women affected by violence turn to for support, which services are prioritized when choices are available, and what factors hinder access to assistance and adequate support. Additionally, it reflects women’s perspectives on whether Georgia’s current social and political climate may affect the future ability of non-governmental organizations  to provide support services to the community and their overall functioning.
 

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