- Lack of women in politics creates serious problems for society - said a member of the Club of Women-Voters in Ozurgeti, Nana Sarishvili. All attendees agreed with her opinion.
Participants of the Club actively discussed problems existing in the region. They talked about migration, unemployment, paid medical care, about the hard work done, mostly by women on mini-plants on processing of nuts. The issues of maternity leave and the age limit for persons searching for jobs. Club members believe that if women come to politics, these problems will become a priority.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
At the meeting in Batumi members of the Club of Women-Voters raised numerous issues and elaborated recommendations - paid annual maternity leave, reducing the retirement age for women, increasing pensions and salaries, establishment of medical benefits for women aged over 40, simplifying the tax code for small businesses.
They also talked about IDPs’ integration. Club members believe that society should pay more attention to the integration of IDPs. It is necessary to solve the housing issues, increase benefits for IDPs, and create work places. It was noted that there should be made amendments in the legislation in order to solve those problems.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
There are new members in the Club of Women-Voters in Khoni. They acquainted the information about the project with great interest. Based on the fact that the majority of the members of the Club are women IDPs from Abkhazia, they paid their attention to the problems in the collective centre of Kopitnari. They emphasized that the issue of internal roads that were damaged during repair works, remains unresolved. Most of the IDPs are still unemployed, there is not natural gas. To solve the problems members of the Club intend to meet with representatives of the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation.
They also discussed the problems to solve which there need to be made changes in the Legislation - free delivery for women IDPs and cash benefits for single women!
Club members believe that the aforementioned problems should lobbied with the relevant authorities.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
Club of Women-Voters of Kutaisi began working with the new staff. The Club members were joined by women IDPs. Participants talked about the priorities relevant among the population:
- provision of patents, infected with hepatitis C virus, with the State program
- free vaccination against rabies
- the settlement of internal routes for city fixed route taxis.
According to members of the Club increasing of women’s number in the local government is important in terms of addressing these issues.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
A League of Women-Voters of Fund "Sukhumi" started a new stage in its activity with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
The first meeting was held in the Club of Women-Voters in Poti. A Project Assistant provided participants with the objectives and tasks of the project – contribution to women’s participation in politics and resolution of conflicts, improvement of the political empowerment of women in the parliamentary elections of 2012.
The participants spoke about the mission of the Club and the Women’s League as a whole. According to members of the Club, the main objective of the Club is to prepare women for politics. It was stressed that there is a need for integration of women IDPs and contribution to their activity. Therefore, the number of women IDPs among the Club members should be increased to 50%.
There were carried out group works. Women identified actual problems of their cities and formulated specific issues – solution of social issues, increasing teachers' salaries, paid maternity leave and free delivery.
Club members noted that it is necessary to make active and effective steps for advocacy and lobbying of problems.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
The Club of young women "Abkhazia - want to know everything" had an interesting meeting on the topic "Tolerance and integration" in the office of fund "Sukhumi". There was showed a short film - "Steps" (shot by girls leaders fund "Sukhumi"), which deals specifically with the topic of integration. After showing the film, there was held a discussion.
Participants sited examples from their personal life. They mentioned that the topic of integration was rather painful. Often locals do not want their sons to be married on a refugee, and vice versa. As a result young people suffer.
A meeting in Senaki, in which members of the Club talked about literature and culture of Abkhazia, was also very interesting.
The project is implemented with the support of Kvinna till Kvinna, women’s Swedish Foundation.
"How did we live before the war?” – Club of young women "Abkhazia – want to know everything” – began with this question in the Women’s Support Centre in Poti. At the meeting were invited IDP teachers. Members of the Club listened to the positive stories about Georgian-Abkhaz relations with interest.
Participants mentioned that youth should know about these relations to be more actively involved in peacemaking activity.
The meeting in Khoni was also interesting. Participants talked about Abkhaz literature, creative work of Georgian and Abkhaz writers.
At the end of the meeting members of the Club got homework to write an essay on the topic of Abkhazia.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization EED Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst.
A year has passed since the Club of Women-Voters started to function in Tskhaltubo. At a regular meeting of the Club participants unanimously emphasized that the activities carried out within the framework of the project - meetings and trainings were very interesting.
Members of the Club evaluated yearly work of the Club as the follows:
-We had fruitful and business meetings.
-We had possibility to talk about our problems.
-We get to know better our rights, obtained information about election legislation, obligations of the local self-government bodies.
Members of the Club consider that activity of the Club should be continued in the future that would contribute to mobilization of women and realization of their possibilities.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
Evaluation of a year's work, results, advantages and disadvantages - members of Batumi Club of Women Voters tried to assess the activities of the past year.
- That year differed from other past years. Thematic of the meetings was diverse. We have expanded the range of our activities. New members have joined the Club, - Inga Meboniya, a leader of the Batumi Club.
- These meetings represent a good opportunity for collaboration and exchange of views - Tsitso Chkheidze.
According to the members of the Club, this year was distinguished by the fact that there were held local self-government elections. The work of the Club in this direction was activated. There were no women in the local self-government of Batumi before elections of 2010, but now there are four. One of them is Nazibrola Kobuladze – a member of the Club of Women-Voters.
The participants of the club would like the work within the framework of the project to be continued in the future, that will contribute to greater mobilization of women in political and public life of the country.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
The Round table meeting, organized in Kutaisi was attended by representatives of governmental and non-governmental bodies. There was invited a member of the City council of Kutaisi, Mrs. Manana Kikabidze.
A head of Kutaisi branch of Association of Young Lawyers Nino Tvaltvadze provided attendees with the information about the training on strengthening of women’s possibilities in politics held in Kobuleti by Fund "Sukhumi”.
Participants of the training expressed their impressions about the training. In the words of Dalila Tamaz-ogli the training was very informative.
-We obtained information about European Charter, about competence of the City council, and budget management.
A member of the local self-government Manana Kikabidze told about future plans. She said she would actively cooperate with the Club of Women-Voters.
At the meeting of the Club there was made an announcement about Round table meeting to be held in Kutaisi on September 3 in the conference-room of the hotel "Imperial”. The meeting will be attended by women-deputies of the City Council of Imereti region and members of the Club of Women-Voters.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
Members of the Club of Women-Voters in Ozurgeti evaluated yearly work and concentrated on important and useful measures carried out with their active participation to support women candidates at the local self-government elections.
There were developed interesting recommendations on future activity of the League of Women-Voters – exchange meetings between members of the Club and local self-government, cultural and charity measures, strengthening of cooperation and meetings with leaders of local political parties, increasing of popularity of Club members at local and regional level.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
Meeting of the Club of Women-Voters in Poti started from good news – a member of the local self-government Magda Menabde was elected a Chairperson of the fraction of United National Movement”.
Participants of the meeting expressed wish for seeing more women at leading posts.
The two-hour meeting was dedicated to summing up of the activity of the Club for a year.
Participants positively evaluated the carried out activity. In their words after the cooperation with the Club many women had an ambition for coming to politics, many of them have seen leader in themselves!
Members of the Club hope that with the help of Fund "Sukhumi” they would participate in other many interesting projects.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
A regular meeting of the Club of Women-Voters was held in Khoni in a hot summer day.
Despite the hot sun, women IDPs from Abkhazia actively involved in the Club’s activity. They told about fruitful activity of the Club of Women-Voters in Khoni for a year. Members of the Club think that throughout this period of time they had possibility to strengthen their knowledge with different information (The Law about the local self-government and changes made in this Law), discuss social issues and issues of quoting, necessity of women’s involvement in politics, issues of gender, quoting, meet with interesting persons (representatives of the Ministry on refugees and accommodation in Imereti region), participate in the training in Kobuleti.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
A
very interesting Club of Young Women "Abkhazia – want to know everything” on
the topic of journalistic and peacebuilding was held in the office of Fund "Sukhumi”.
At
the meeting were invited journalists and a poetess Natella Mamardashvili.
Participants of the meeting talked about importance of Media in peacebuilding.
Lali
Shengelia who worked as a journalist for several years in the newspapers
"Samreklo” and "Drosha” talked participants about past relations between
Georgian and Russian journalists. She spoke about editions published by
Georgian and Russian journalists and which were popular for many years in
Abkhazia. She also touched upon the special role of Media in peacebuilding.
Natella
Mamardashvili remembered interesting stories about Abkhaz literacy, about
creative people, read her poems about Abkhazia.
Stories
of Lia Kharabadze, who was on the front line during the conflict in Abkhazia,
were full of emotions.
Meeting
of the Club was held in ZhannaChabukianiMuseum,
based in the Fund "Sukhumi”.
The project is
implemented with the support of Kvinna till Kvinna, women’s Swedish Foundation.
Members of Batumi Club of Women-Voters were acquainted with the State Strategy on occupied territories "Inclusion Through Cooperation”.
This document caused great interest among the attendees. Members of the Club hope that the Strategy will be the basis for rebuilding of confidence. They think that Peoples Diplomacy, usage of kinship relations play great role, that it is especially important to involve young persons and also include in negotiation process mothers of lost warriors.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
- Governmental and non-governmental organizations should show more initiatives to reproach Georgian and Abkhaz peoples!
We have never been enemies. The reason of conflict between Georgians and Abkhazians was the third force! – this time members of the Club of Women-Voters discussed the strategy "Inclusion through cooperation”. This document was very interesting for the attendees – they discussed Georgian-Abkhaz relations.
Members of the Club think that Peoples diplomacy (kinship relations, mixed families) play special role in the restoration of confidence.
They also expressed wish for cooperating with women living in Abkhazia. Personal contact will help them to achieve this objective. Before starting of the new school year they would also like to give pupils living on the other side of Inguri bridge school material.
Members of the Club declare that they will apply to the President as well as to the Board of Fund "Sukhumi” for support.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
On the 21st of July members of the Club of Women-Voters gather in the conference-room of Fund "Sukhumi”. There were also invited representatives of the Local self-government and City administration.
Members of the Club were provided with the information about the situation in the City council from gender perspective.
The meeting was attended by the only woman – members of the City Council of Kutaisi, Manana Kikabidze, who talked about the reasons why she had come in politics, which sphere would be priority for her and in which direction she is was going to continue her activity.
At the 2-hours meeting members of the Club paid certain attention to the discussion of IDPs’ issues.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization NED – National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
