Category: Impact Stories

Making an Impact in Azerbaijan

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The road repair project jointly funded by USAID, Government of Azerbaijan, local municipality, and community members improved the day-to-day living conditions of over 1,400 people in Arzu community.

EWMI’s Socio-Economic Development Activity in Azerbaijan (SEDA) project has led several high impact initiatives these past few months with very promising outcomes.  SEDA brought better roads to a small town in Khachmaz, raised awareness and improved services for the elderly and disabled, and finally helped support advocacy groups in applying pressure to reform the local seed registry in Azerbaijan.

Building New Roads to Opportunity

During the initial EWMI-supported community meeting to identify the community of Khachmaz’s needs, the majority of community members expressed the need for the construction of a school building and repairs to the community’s often impassable roads.    Good news came quickly when the Community Development Council (CDC) announced that the government planned to build a new school in the community in the near future.  In the meantime, EWMI began construction on the rehabilitation of the community’s roads, breaking ground in June of 2013.  The roads have been recently completed, and the construction of the secondary school is well underway.   This was a dream come true for many of Khachmaz’s community members.  “For years we have been dreaming that our children could safely walk through repaired roads to a community school. Now we are very excited that this year both problems were addressed,” said Gulesmer Abbekirova, CDC Coordinator.

Advocacy Outreach on People with Disabilities and Social Workers

EWMI’s SEDA Civic Engagement Grant program, along with the Society for Humanitarian Research (SHR), recently secured support for Azeris with disabilities by starting a dialogue with civil society organizations (CSOs), relevant state bodies, and ministries on some of the issues this group faces.  Gunel Hasanova, an active participant of the advocacy campaign, stated, “Prior to SHR’s activities, there was a lack of information … I think this project is a successful step forward in terms of informing people of different levels of ability through this project and defining and supporting those who are interested in social work.”  In addition, SHR led an effort to conduct special training courses, and they also reached out to young people to involve them in their advocacy campaigns for people with disabilities.  “We hope these initiatives will improve the relevant legislative framework” and “deepen the interest in social work,” stated Teyyub Mirgasimov, Director of the Regional Cooperation and Community Development Center.  

Local Seeds for Growth in Azerbaijan

The current Seed Registration Law in Azerbaijan falls short for many Azeri farmers.  The price of imported seeds is high, making it difficult for many farmers to purchase them.  Without an established registry of local seeds as another option, many farmers find themselves in a difficult position, which incites many of them to call for tougher regulations and simplified procedures on the current Seed Registration Law.  A simpler seed registry with tighter regulations can also help restore the country’s seed selection tradition and spread existing local varieties.  Mursal Gurbanov, a farmer from Aghdam rayon asserts, “I believe that seeds can be sold to farmers at a reasonable price once the registration process is simplified.”  

To address this issue, EWMI began to support the advocacy efforts of AKTIVTA, a local CSO.  As a direct result of AKTIVTA’s advocacy efforts, the State Seed Testing Commission involved farmers in testing seed varieties in its regional testing centers for the first time. The Commission is planning to continue to regularly conduct seed variety testing with farmer participation and is also committed to simplifying the seed registration procedures.  Finally, AKTIVTA republished a new version of state seed varieties, which provides valuable information to local seed importers and international seed companies, and even submitted recommendations on seed variety registration procedures to the “Seed Policy Paper,” a report prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture.  

Bringing Innovation to Social Procurement in Kyrgyzstan

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Representatives of the Kyrgyz Government, international and civil society organizations attended the “Social Procurement: International and Kyrgyzstan Experience” conference.

On October 23, 2013, EWMI’s Kyrgyzstan Collaborative Governance Program (KCGP) organized a conference entitled “Social Procurement: International and Kyrgyzstan Experience” in partnership with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and UNICEF. Representatives of Kyrgyzstan’s government, including the Minister of Social Development and senior officials from other ministries, along with local authorities, civil society organizations and representatives from several international organizations were among the conference’s 70 participants. The conference featured four key experts in social procurement from Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and the United States as speakers.  

Both Kyrgyz and international participants shared their experiences in developing and implementing social procurement in order to provide a broader context for enhancing the legislative and procedural framework for social procurement in Kyrgyzstan. Aside from exchanging vital information and experience, the Conference was also a forum to begin the process of establishing a working group of representatives from these various stakeholder organizations to provide critical input to improve the mechanisms and process of procurement of social services in Kyrgyzstan.

According to a report cited by Irina Lukashova, a consultant for EWMI CGP, the number of non-profit organizations applying for social service delivery projects in Kyrgyzstan has tripled over the last three years, from only about 42 applicant organizations in 2009, to 132 organizations in 2012. These funding requests were to support a variety of social projects, such as preventing child abandonment, neglect and child labor, or improving the social integration of children with special needs.  

State funding allocated for social procurement has also jumped substantially. In 2009, the allocated budget was just over 4 million KGS, or about $82 thousand USD. As of this year, fund allocation has reached nearly 14 million KGS, according to Kudaibergen Bazarbaev, Minister of Social Development. Minister Bazarbaev openly expressed his support for social procurement as a mechanism through which the government can successfully engage NGOs in social service delivery, and he hopes that the momentum gained by his ministry will attract other material and financial resources and be replicated by other ministries. He noted that a growing social service sector will increase competition, thereby improving the quality of social services provided. He also supports development of an improved legal mechanism to better ensure fair and efficient provision of social services. Djoldosheva Nuriyla, Head of the Department of Social Development in Kyrgyzstan, contributed to the discussion, adding that the success of other countries in providing social service delivery through NGOs confirms that social procurement is beneficial for everyone, including the state.  It allows the state to provide services in more locations, with better overall quality and typically at a cheaper price, while simultaneous improving the professionalism and sustainability of the NGO sector.

Overall, conference participants were supportive of the need for social procurement reforms. Participants were pleased to support further development of social procurement mechanisms in order to contribute to the improvement of social services, services which are a lifeline for many citizens throughout Kyrgyzstan.

Tipping the Scales of Gender Equality in Georgian Courts

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In July 2012, the gender distribution in the Georgian Judicial Administration was 63% male. Several high positions within the court lacked female representation and were entirely made up of male jurists.

To address this issue of gender disparity in the courts, in April 2013, the Deputy Chief of Mission Bridget Brink, Supreme Court Chairman Konstantine Kublashvili, and the Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani joined to host a conference, organized by EWMI’s Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP), entitled “Gender in the Court: Working Toward a More Inclusive Court System.” The conference aimed to foster the development of a court system that encourages women to play a greater role in the running of courts and the development of the justice system. 

A few months after the conference, noticeable improvements could already be seen. As of July 2013, female jurists moved into court positions which were previously without female representation. The number of female HCOJ Members rose from zero to three, while the makeup of the Disciplinary Committee also shifted to include a female jurist and two female non-judge members. Although the shift towards a more even distribution of gender in the courts is exciting, several positions, including the Disciplinary Chamber and the Judge chairs of the Chambers of the courts, remain entirely male.  EWMI will continue to support initiatives aimed at balancing the scales and encourage further progress.

Encouraging Socio-Economic Development in Azerbaijan

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Volunteers from Beylagan YESDPU help the elderly people in their communities with day-to-day domestic activities.

EWMI’s Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA) in Azerbaijan includes a grants program that supports organizations that engage in advocacy on socio-economic development at local and regional levels. Poverty reduction, participatory water management, environmental protection, improved social services, and efficient seed registration procedures are among the initiatives that civil society organizations (CSOs) have launched with grants from EWMI SEDA.

On August 10, 2012, EWMI awarded more than $85,000 to six CSOs in the Aran region for their innovative projects. Internally displaced persons, farmers, youth, the elderly and people with limited physical abilities are among the more than 30,300 citizens who have benefitted already from the implementation of these projects from September 2012 to June 2013.

“SEDA-supported projects address real problems in our village,” said Malik Azimov, Chief of Shahverdili municipality in Imishli rayon. His village was among 30 communities where 300 citizens were surveyed about local environmental issues. Dalga Ecology and Nature Protection Public Union, a EWMI SEDA grantee, is collaborating with citizens, local authorities, and schools to identify solutions for the environmental issues concerning the Araz and Kura rivers. “We believe that this project will result in better waste management systems in Shahverdili community,” Azimov said.

“The grant we received from EWMI SEDA is supporting our advocacy initiative for the simplification of seed variety registration that will directly benefit 93 members of our association and the people that work with them,” said Farid Firidunov, Director of AKTIVTA. “This will result in decreased seed prices for all community members.”

Other EWMI grantees have initiated equally important efforts within their communities. Aran Humanitarian Regional Development Organization from Barda rayon has brought together citizens, Limited Liability Companies, and local officials to improve water management systems. The Youth Enlightenment and Social Development Public Union from Beylagan rayon has involved the elderly to identify their needs and supported them to get access to social support benefits. The Society for Human Research and Regional Cooperation and the Community Development Center in Goychay rayon have collaborated to improve access for people with disabilities to social services. Progress Social Research Public Union from Imishli rayon is supporting local authorities to implement the UN Millennium Development Goals for Azerbaijan. Over the next four years, EWMI will provide $500,000 to support these and other trade, professional, and farmers associations in furthering socio-economic development at the community and regional level in Azerbaijan.

Open Development Cambodia to Become an Official NGO

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The new ODC board comprises seven members with a vast range of knowledge and experiences in Cambodia’s development, particularly in the IT field.

Open Development Cambodia (ODC) is soon to become an official Cambodian NGO. On July 10, ODC’s governing board was installed and by-laws promulgated in a brief ceremony at the EWMI office, shared by ODC. The board, comprised of seven members with a vast range of knowledge and experiences in Cambodia’s development, particularly in IT field, were announced to more than 20 supporters on hand to witness the event.  The ceremony was followed by a reception. Thy Try, one of the original members of ODC’s advisory group, was announced as the interim board chair. He will serve in that role for three months before exiting it to become ODC’s director in October 2013. This was a critical milestone in the localization of ODC, which expects to make application to the Ministry of Interior to register as a local NGO before the end of next week.  

Open Development Cambodia has had a very successful year so far. On a monthly basis, ODC posts hundreds of news items, receives thousands of visitors, and has nearly 3,000 “Likes” on Facebook. The ODC was featured on the tech website, Geeks in Cambodia, and Loy 9, a BBC Media Action TV show, shared ODC’s press release on its Face Book page. 

On June 28th, 2013, ODC launched the much anticipated Election Page for the Cambodian election held at the end of July 2013, which features maps, briefings, documents, news, videos and past ballots. The page is in Khmer. The team is now working on a simpler parallel page containing basic information about Cambodian elections in English. The ODC staff has completed building a Phnom Penh Polling Station map and is uploading it into the site. After a few days of testing, a press release about the launch of the new page was sent out to various media outlets, aid agencies, universities, professional networks, and NGOs on July 4.

Cambodia (2003-2014): Program on Rights and Justice (PRAJ) I and II
Mekong Region (2011-Present): Open Development Initiative (ODI)

Backlog Reduction Initiative in Serbia Shows Promising Results

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Six courts in Serbia have reduced their case backlogs from 23,000 to 12,000 old cases.

According to  the most recent statistics available (from late 2012), six courts in Serbia, working with EWMI’s Separation of Powers Program (SPP) funded by USAID, have reduced their case backlogs by 49%, from 23,000 to 12,000 old cases. The task ahead is to extend this success to other jurisdictions around the country.

The reduction of backlogged cases is important to Serbia’s hopes for EU integration, explains SPP project consultant Pim Albers, PhD, Advisor to the Dutch Ministry of Justice. Throughout the country, there are over 190,000 cases that have been pending for more than ten years in basic courts, and over 540,000 cases that have been pending for five to ten years. These backlogs violate the principle of a right to trial within a reasonable time, and must be reduced to bring Serbia up to European standards. 

These preliminary successes resulted from the courts’ adoption of reduction and prevention techniques outlined in SPP’s “Backlog Reduction and Prevention Best Practices Guide.” Building on the successes of SPP partner courts shown in the Guide, in July 2013, SPP presented a National Plan for Backlog Reduction that would reduce the number of backlogged cases by 80% over the next five years. The National Plan proposes that each court form a team that would organize and identify backlogged cases, investigate the cause of delay, and sort the cases accordingly, explains SPP Deputy Manager Milan Nikolić. Additional strategies are to reorganize the work in the court registry offices, engage employees more efficiently, and distribute a more equitable workload to all of the judges within a court. By implementing the National Strategy, Serbia will be able to reduce backlogs throughout the country, improve citizen trust and confidence in the judiciary, and facilitate Serbia’s entry into the EU. 

Enhancing Access to Social Services for the Elderly in Azerbaijan

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Ms.Nabat Aliyeva from Alinazarli village of Beylaqan recently registered to receive social services.

For almost 10 years, Nabat Aliyeva has lived alone in her home in Alinazarli village in Beylagan rayon. She has an oncological disease. Remarkably, Nabat was not aware that social services are available for elderly people living alone in her area. 

“Recently I heard from our community leader that an organization held a meeting about social services for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the elderly and people living alone in Beylagan,” Nabat Aliyeva said. 

The community leader informed her about a roundtable meeting on “The Community’s Role in Providing Social Services to the Elderly and IDPs,” organized by the Youths’ Enlightenment and Social Development Public Union in Beylagan. The discussion was organized as part of their efforts to enhance public and social services for the elderly and IDPs. The meeting was made possible by a grant awarded by EWMI’s Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA) in Azerbaijan, which is co-financed by USAID and the Government of Azerbaijan. 

During the roundtable, Faik Mehdiyev, a leader of Aliyetmezli community, informed participants about an elderly woman in his village who was in dire need of social services. Participants from the Center of Social Protection of the Population carefully took notes. They agreed that social workers from the Center would visit Alinazarli village, talk to the elderly woman and try to offer assistance with her domestic issues. 

The next day, a representative from Youths’ Enlightenment and Social Development Public Union visited Nabat Aliyeva. They explained her social rights and services available to her. After the meeting, representatives from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population registered Nabat Aliyeva for receipt of social services. 

“Currently, a social worker visits me once a week,” said Nabat Aliyeva. “I gradually have begun to forget that I am alone. Previously, I gave up thinking about treating my disease, but a few days ago I changed my mind. I visited a doctor, and I am now receiving proper treatment. This was possible thanks to the psychological support provided by the social worker who motivated me to live a full life. I am grateful to the people and organizations who work to identify lonely people and enlighten them about their rights in society.” 

Nabat is among 37 elderly persons in Beylagan rayon who have registered to receive social services thanks to the Youth Enlightenment and Social Development Public Union’s awareness-raising and close collaboration with the Center of Social Protection of the Population. 

With support from EWMI’s SEDA program, the Union has identified social problems faced by the elderly and IDP youth, made these issues public and advocated for municipalities and communities to resolve these issues. They continue to assist women like Nabat in realizing their rights, while involving local businesses, institutions, municipalities and government in resolving such issues faced by citizens.

Sixteen Georgian Think Tanks Sign an Ethical and Quality Standards Document

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New Ethical and Quality Standards document establishes principles to ensure that Georgian think tanks meet the highest possible professional standards.

On May 21, 16 Georgian Think Tanks signed an Ethical and Quality Standards Document. The document presents comprehensive standards to guide the work of Georgian think tanks and establishes principles to ensure that the think tanks meet the highest possible professional standards. The ethical code covers organizational themes such as transparency, accountability and governance, while the quality standards focus on research, analysis, and advocacy processes.

At the signing ceremony, EWMI presented new standards to an auditorium filled with CSOs, the media, and International Organizations. Following the presentation, Georgian think tanks publicly signed the document.

EWMI’s Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development Project in Georgia (G-PAC) assisted Georgian think tanks in developing these standards, using similar documents from the US and Central and Eastern Europe as guidelines. Policy research experts from Arizona State University in the US reviewed the draft standards and provided feedback. Over months of discussion, and with great attention from the Georgian policy research environment, the Georgian think tanks developed, finalized, and adopted these standards.

By signing up to follow those standards, the Georgian Think Tanks have self-imposed principles of excellence and have taken responsibility for following the highest possible standards to guide them through their work. The standards will ultimately raise the profile of Georgian think tanks among the public, as well as enhance the credibility and quality of the policy research.

The following organizations signed the document:

EWMI Grantee Facilitates Greater Collaboration on Sustainable Energy Issues

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Residents of the Kazbegi region protest the construction of the Dariali HPP at the Ministry of Energy in Tbilisi.

Hydro-power will be an important component to developing a sustainable domestic energy supply in Georgia. However, several hydro-power plant (HPP) construction contracts were signed without the input of the communities those HPPs would affect or an assessment of their environmental impacts. To ensure a more participatory process that accounts for community and environmental concerns, EWMI Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development Project in Georgia (G-PAC) grantee, Green Alternative, successfully facilitated greater collaboration between the government, CSOs, the private sector, and the public on the issue.  

Green Alternative focused its efforts on the Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi, and Svaneti regions, which would be affected by several new HPPs. Green Alternative began by meeting with community members to raise public awareness about the potential impact of HPP construction on local ecosystems, geography, and livelihoods. 

At the same time, Green Alternative facilitated communication between these communities and relevant investors and government decision makers. Green Alternative formed two working groups within the Ministry of Energy to address public concerns. The organization also researched the terms of HPP construction contracts and recommended amendments that would promote greater sustainability and economic benefits for Georgia. These recommendations were presented to all stakeholders.

Green Alternative also formed partnerships with local CSOs working on similar issues throughout the country, including some outside of the regions originally envisioned by the project. Stepantsminda, from the Kazbegi region, was one such organization. With assistance from Green Alternative Executive Director Ketevan Gujaraidze arranged through EWMI G-PAC’s Mentoring Program, Stepantsminda helped citizens in its community express their concerns about HPP construction in the Dariali Ravine to policy makers.

Thanks to Green Alternative and their coalition partners like Stepantsminda, three HPP projects (in Dariali, Khudoni, and Namakvani) have been put on hold until concerns about them can be adequately addressed. The Ministry of Energy is now working on a sustainable energy strategy that will account for the concerns Green Alternative’s coalition has raised.

EWMI funded Green Alternative’s project with a G-PAC Partnership for Change (PfC) grant.

Court Monitoring Programs Highlight Shortcomings in Criminal and Administrative Court Proceedings

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GYLA and TI Georgia Court Monitoring Reports

EWMI Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP) grantees, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and Transparency International Georgia (TI) presented the findings of their most recent court monitoring efforts on April 2, 2013.  In GYLA’s case, their findings covered the period July to December 2012; TI’s reporting covered the period June to October 2012. While GYLA and TI found that the courts generally followed the procedures prescribed by law, they noted that the courts continued to show a clear preference for the prosecution in criminal cases and for the state party in administrative cases.

They found this preference was especially evident in cases where political interests were involved. While the groups reported a slightly positive trend towards objectivity and professionalism by the courts, the results were not substantially different than what the groups reported six months ago. The only truly significant change observed in the behavior of the courts, was in cases involving former government officials charged with crimes by the new government. In these cases, the courts were substantially more lenient toward the defendants in terms of imposing bail and pretrial detention than they had been with any other category of defendant in the past. Judicial representatives attended the April 2nd event and provided their views of the reports’ findings. They expressed their general support for the monitoring efforts but suggested that the reports did not provide a complete picture of what was happening in the courts.