Women of Georgia published 15 new stories that hit a record number of over one million viewers and brought over 3,000 new followers to the official Facebook page.
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A collection of all the published stories can be found on the website.
For over three years, EWMI’s Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) project has supported an online platform, Women of Georgia, created to raise awareness about gender inequalities and promote open discussion of issues affecting women in Georgia. Featuring real stories of women from various backgrounds, these stories have become an important voice for many women. In the past two months, Women of Georgia has published 15 new stories that combined hit a record number of over one million total views and brought over 3,000 new followers to the official Facebook page, bringing the total to over 78,800 followers. Moreover, many of these stories were quickly picked up by national TV channels and social media sites, stirring intense debates and, in some cases, first-time conversations on women’s struggles in Georgia.
EWMI ACCESS also supported the creation of the Women of Georgia website, that collects all the published stories in Georgian and English languages.
ACCESS is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
In order to respond to the COVID-19 crisis in a timely manner, EWMI’s Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) Project in Georgia promptly announced the Rapid Response Grants (RRG) program for Georgian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), civil movements and citizen groups. The program deploys flexible resources to these groups to take civic action to minimize the spread of infection and address the crisis caused by the pandemic. Response to the program has been very positive, and grants have already been awarded to several grantees.
Quick access to funds allows grantees to address the needs of vulnerable populations throughout Georgia. In the town of Sighnaghi, about 30% of residents are over the age of 65 and are at a higher risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19. These residents have been advised to stay home and practice strict social distancing. For many of them, self-isolation will equal loneliness. With RRG funds, the Civic Initiatives’Knowledge Café project will support this population by developing a database of elderly citizens living alone in the Sighnaghi municipality; reaching out to them to identify and address their needs; providing them with essential food and medical products; and organizing stress management and relief. To further support this effort, the Knowledge Café alsoraised funds from 513 local citizens through crowd funding. The Roma community is one of the most marginalized and under-represented communities in Georgia and are especially vulnerable during this pandemic. Roma have a limited access to private housing, social welfare, health care, and education. Inability to speak Georgian creates additional barriers for their integration into the Georgian society. The Ajara Democratic DevelopmentCenter used its grant funds to launch a hotline for the Roma community living in the Ajara region to help inform them about the COVID-19 risks and prevention measures.
People with underlying health issues are at increased risk for infection, severe illness, and poorer outcomes from COVID-19. With their health in mind, EWMI ACCESS Rapid Response grantee, Identoba Youth, began information- and awareness-raising campaigns on COVID-19 for HIV positive and at-risk groups in Batumi. The organization developed and published a protocol with detailed guidance on what is COVID-19, how it is transmitted, what precautions to take, and how to access necessary health services. Identoba Youth has also started providing individual consultations on the COVID-19-related social and medical issues to the target group members. Another grantee, the Winner Women’s Club launched a Facebook challenge campaign in which the Club members – cancer patient and survivor women – share their personal experiences during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. This activity is part of the Winner Women’s Club effort to support the physical and mental well-being of cancer patient women during COVID-19 and beyond. Rapid Response Grantee Europa Donna Georgia will also use funds to support cancer patients, as well as their families, caregivers, and larger oncology community during the COVID-19 crisis. The grantee will develop infographics and videos about cancer and COVID-19 and facilitate discussion and Q&A via website, social media, and webinar with experts. Rapid Response Grantee Xenon is experienced in working with individuals with substance dependence, which is a high-risk group for COVID-19 transmission and complications. Xenon will use the RRG funds to facilitate a training webinar for Harm Reduction Program staff on COVID-19 issues, develop and distribute print materials and also distribute information by phone call to raise awareness among individuals with substance dependence about COVID-19 and how to avoid contracting it, and to provide personal protection equipment to individuals with substance dependence.
EWMI ACCESS Rapid Response Grants are also being used to ensure that the citizens of Georgia receive accurate and important public health information. Giorgi Beria, the Head of the New Vision University Training Center and National Expert of Education Quality Development, began organizing trainings for front-line medical personnel in targeted health facilities (these facilities have been designated as first, second, and third tier recipients of COVID-19 patients). Training agenda and materials for the targeted health care facilities are based on the national protocol and guidelines and WHO’s and NCDC’s recommendations, and have been vetted by the Regional Public Health Center under the Georgian Ministry of Health. The first three trainings covered 58 nurses, assistant nurses, and doctors from the Kutaisi Clinic L.G. Another Rapid Response Grantee Mirian Jugheli has built up a website cataloging different types of products and services available online in Georgia to ease adherence to the stay-at-home regulations. It includes a section debunking disinformation about COVID-19 and pointing visitors to reliable information. The Rapid Response Grantee Salam received funds to publish new informative posters in Azerbaijani language to raise awareness about COVID-19 prevention measures. The first poster explains the importance of physical distancing and how to maintain it. Another posterexplains the importance of regular hand washing and provides detailed instructions on how to do it properly.
The COVID-19 outbreak has caused fear, stress, anxiety and grief among many Georgian citizens, including children. EWMI ACCESS awarded the New Thinking Institute a grant that enabled them to prepare and publish a new animated children’s story in Azerbaijani language to help young children in Kvemo Kartli and other parts of the country cope with the stay-at-home order. This is the fourth animated story by the New Thinking Institute during the pandemic. The stories are based on Azerbaijani fairy tales.
EWMI ACCESS is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Like mirrors, children reflect the society they live in and are images of what happens around them. This is why heart-shaped mirror pins were chosen as the symbol of the regional civic campaign on violence against children. From November 20 to 22, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and volunteers in Telavi, Gori, and Kutaisi carried out the campaign labeled “You’ve Got a Message” to raise public awareness of various forms of violence against children, and the problems related to prevention and elimination of this problem in the country.
Every child has the right to get quality healthcare and education, be strong and secure, and have the same opportunities as other children do. State programs and services in Georgia fail to secure these basic rights. Parents and society at large also violate the rights of children frequently. This is demonstrated by a number of studies conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) over the past few years in Georgia:
Violence against children and its prevention: According to a 2016 Survey, 60% of the general public think that harsh parenting is a more effective method of raising a child than using a non-violent method; the Social Service Agency has only 11 psychologists to provide psycho-social rehabilitation services to child victims of violence; the practice of revealing and responding to cases of violence against children is very challenging as well.
Poverty: According to the 2017 Welfare Monitoring Survey, every fifth child lives in a household in which household members’ basic needs are not met.
Pre-school education: According to 2018 survey data, 62.5% of municipalities spend 10 GEL annually (on average 0.73-1.11 GEL monthly) for developmental toys and educational resources per child in kindergartens. 44% of kindergarten staff does not possess professional competencies.
In order to capture public attention for these and other child-related problems in Georgia, CSOs and activists engaged wider society in a variety of interesting events:
At the campaign opening ceremony on the 20th of November, the public gathered at the central squares of Telavi, Gori, and Kutaisi, where organizers read out the Campaign Manifesto that clearly explained the focus and goals of the event and then invited citizens to write their notes or requests to the local municipality on a special banner. At the same time, outdoor digital screens displayed children’s emotional messages to adults. The messages, excerpts from real-life stories, concerned violent methods of upbringing and humiliating attitudes the children face at schools and kindergartens and in their families. This immediately gained public attention and engagement both at the event and later on social media.
To make the problem more visible, an art installation “Circle of Violence” was staged. Aside from the visual elements, viewers could listen to the sounds of violence and the humiliating expressions that adults use towards children.
The main highlight of the second day was theatrical monologues in which children and adults told real stories of child abuse, bullying, and domestic violence. A lively discussion followed the monologues with the participation of school students, teachers, and parents. On the same day, volunteers distributed information cards entitled “Myths and Realities of Raising Children” to people on the streets. The cards featured the most widespread misconceptions about childrearing and the correct methods to counter them.
A discussion “What would you buy for 73 tetri?” was held on the third day of the campaign to highlight the challenges that children face in kindergartens. 73 tetri is the amount that the majority of municipalities spend on developmental toys for children in public kindergartens. A photo exhibition on the way children see kindergartens was also displayed at the discussion space.
During the campaign, public signatures were collected on a statement requesting that both local and central governments fulfill their obligations imposed by international conventions, and develop and/or improve the appropriate child welfare services. These statements were then submitted to the Telavi, Gori, and Kutaisi city halls. “The purpose of the campaign is to highlight the role of the local and central governments in improving children’s well-being. It’s impossible to achieve any improvement without government intervention” – said Keti Kalandadze, representative of the “Coalition for Children and Youth”.
The “You’ve Got a Message” campaign was carried out with financial support from EWMI ACCESS and Save the Children in Georgia, and organized by “Coalition for Children and Youth” along with its regional partner CSOs: Society “Biliki,” Social Umbrella, Network of Centers for Civic Engagement, Regional Civil Society Network, Civil Development Agency, and PITA project. The campaign involved up to 100 youth volunteers as well.
Recreational status was granted to the non-agricultural land plots on Javakhishvili Street.
In response to the petition initiated by a group of active citizens supported by EWMI ACCESS Citizen Outreach Grant (COG) recipient Civil Society Institute (CSI), Batumi now has one more recreational area, where local residents can spend their free time. On February 15, 2018, the members of the Batumi Municipality Council (i.e., Sakrebulo) endorsed the petition granting recreational status to three non-agricultural land plots on Javakhishvili Street.
The Batumi branch of CSI began working with civic-minded citizens, including youth, last year. After initial trainings and other capacity-building in civic engagement and advocacy techniques, CSI assisted the group of local activists in organizing open meetings with the residents of all 13 districts of Batumi to identify their most pressing problems. These meetings, held under the slogan Your Voice in the City Council, revealed numerous problems, including a lack of green public spaces and recreational zones in the city.
In response, the civic initiative group developed a petition to the Batumi Sakrebulo requesting granting of the recreational status to the non-agricultural land plots on Javakhishvili Street, so that locals could use this space for recreational purposes.
The group mobilized the local citizens from round the plot-land area, secured the legally mandated number of signatures, and submitted the petition to the Batumi Sakrebulo in February 2017.
The Batumi Sakrebulo took over one year to review the petition. Throughout this period, the Batumi branch of CSI, along with the active citizens’ group, persistently advocated for the positive resolution of the issue through attending all Sakrebulo hearings, working closely with the Civil Advisory Council attached to the Sakrebulo, and using every other opportunity to voice citizens’ strong support.
Thanks to these efforts, in February 2018, the Batumi Saktrebulo approved the petition request and officially upheld the recreational function of the square, thus protecting it from external interventions, including but not limited to an apartment block construction.
The CSI project has thus set an important precedent of a successful citizen engagement in the local decision-making process and additionally, encouraged some of the involved activists to join the Civil Advisory Council at the Batumi Sakrebulo.
