During the meetings of women's mutual support groups in Tskaltubo and Vani, services offered by municipal and non-governmental organizations were discussed. Samtredia group has been replenished with new members, so new cases have appeared. They need to be processed in a timely manner and each one needs to be resolved.
In Kobuleti, the group members outlined their problems and needs. Necessities were discussed in Terjola, Zugdidi, Tsalenjikha, Senaki and Khobi. The woman from Chokhatauri has a great desire to take courses of working with polymer clay, as this is one of the ways to find employment along with therapy. It is important for women that a psychologist from the Women Fund “Sukhumi” periodically works with them, helping them to solve their problems.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada
The Women’s Fund “Sokhumi” continues raising awareness on digital security by organizing workshops across different municipalities in Georgia.
From February 4 to 7, digital security trainer Linda Chikhladze held sessions in Tskaltubo, Samtredia, and Chokhatauri, engaging local women's support groups in discussions on online risks and protective mechanisms.
During the workshops, participants:
- Learned about technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) and its impact;
- Studied personal data protection techniques – strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and privacy tools;
- Became familiar with legal protections against online violence;
- Discussed the importance of mutual support and women’s empowerment.
Women advocacy groups created in Tskaltubo, Zugdidi and Senaki supported a civil initiative for the advocacy of identified needs. In particular: in the IDP settlement of Senaki, there were no signs with numbers on the apartments, which often created problems (for example, when calling an ambulance). There were no benches for parents and children in the courtyard of the school in the village Koki (Zugdidi municipality). In Tskaltubo, in a new settlement of IDPs, women identified a following problem: the buildings do not have information boards on which the necessary information would be posted (for example, information about a hotline).
The implementation of these initiatives will ensure a safe and adapted environment for women
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)
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 Chokhatauri, members of the mutual assistance group held a meeting of a different format - a cheese exhibition. The women brought out their goods. They discussed the creation of a website called "Women of Gogolasubani", which will help sell the products. Group from Tsalenjikha consider the economic empowerment of women from the vulnerable group in their plans for the future.
New participants gathered in Samtredia, they filled out questionnaires, talked about their needs. Tskaltubo group was replenished with new members. The meeting was held online.
Mutual assistance group meetings were also held in other municipalities (Khobi, Zugdidi, Terjola, Kobuleti, Senaki, Vani). New participants addressed - with their problems and hope for their solution. A psychologist from the Women Fund “Sukhumi” actively worked with the women.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
New members have appeared in Kobuleti women's mutual support group. During the first meeting, they talked about the needs and various problems of women. The group in Vani was also updated, and in Terjola, women who were able to change their lives as a result of the work of the mutual support group, gathered at the meeting.
In each group created in 10 municipalities, new members have appeared and, accordingly, there are new challenges. At the meetings, women discuss problems related to violence and try to solve them together.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
30 medical workers (from Kutaisi, Tskaltubo, Senaki, Chokhatauri, Terjola, Samtredia municipalities) attended the training, which was held in Tskaltubo.
The topic of the training was “The role of medical staff in violence prevention and victim protection”. Using a variety of methods, participants discussed the different issues, including: violence against women and children, the Istanbul Convention, referral mechanisms, victim identification groups...
According to them, this work is relevant and necessary:
“For me, as a doctor, the training was interesting. The information received, the interesting methods and the environment were productive"...
“The training format allowed us to talk about the reasons of the problem, to analyze when we behave correctly and incorrectly. It is necessary for medical staff to understand their direct responsibility".
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
Training for teachers was held at the Hotel “West Tower Kutaisi”. Gender, gender-based violence, violence identification, communication with a child and referral stages, legal mechanisms and the role of teachers in violence prevention, international documents - these issues were discussed at the training. Participants represented 9 municipalities (Senaki, Terjola, Samtredia, Kutaisi, Tskaltubo, Khoni, Zugdidi, Khobi, Vani).
Participants were actively involved in training process, in discussions, and shared their experiences with each other. They were given a practical manual developed for teachers - available on the website of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”:
According to the participants, the training will help destroy gender stereotypes and prevent violence through early identification and intervention mechanisms. They will introduce gender approaches in schools and will actively participate in the process of identifying cases of violence.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
The survey process has been actively launched among members of the Women's mutual assistance group; the survey will identify, women who want to start their own small business. The Women Fund “Sukhumi” will support the following directions: sewing and art, poultry farming, cooking, and cleaning services.
As a result of the survey, five women living in the target municipalities will receive small grants and will be able to purchase appropriate tools and equipment. Women's work will raise the self-esteem of each of them and empower their families.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)