Association GAENATI is one of the local NGOs which is implemented by the activities to enhance the role of women in society and reveal the woman’s potential.

Since its foundation in September of 2002. The Head of Association Eka Machavariani and the staff members (there are 15 staff members and 25 volunteers) were worried about the post-war condition which exists in conflict region in Zugdidi.

Zugdidi is located near the border of Abkhazia and it’s situated in the middle part of the countries Abkhazia and High mountainous region.

GAENATI is located in Zugdidi. It’s a non-governmental, non-profitable organization. From the beginning foreign languages. Training Center was created within the organization where English, German, French, Spanish, Russian languages and computing have been taught.

Classes are mainly paid, but the students from the vulnerable families and IDP have discounts, but for the most vulnerable ones the classes are free.

Once a week a guest speaker (from the UNOMIC Zugdidi office) visits the organization and conducts 2hour talk for the GAENATI students. Our students constantly take part in various competitions in foreign languages and we have the winners.

Several organizations got interested in GAENATI such as: British Humanitarian organization hullo Trust, former IRC (International Rescue Committee)

In 2003 we submitted our project proposal in ECDC (education cooperation and development center) a partner organization of GLOBAL FUND for women in Tbilisi and got financed. The project envisaged assistance 30 women through learning English language and computing. All classes are free for the integrated groups of vulnerable locals, IDP and disabled women.

The idea of the project arisen the post-war society and strategy of GAENATI was to formulate the women/s rehabilitation.

As you know “local organizations know best the needs that exist”…

Association GAENATI’s basic aim was to lead out women from their.

When Peace came women had to stay at home doing their housework and brought up their children. Lots of them were forced to abandon out of doors and sold something underpressure, they were victims not only of their family, but of the police and their surroundings.

When you realize that you’re excluded from society it causes to develop inferiority complex and women became vulnerable to raise their voice in society because they were scared.

So GAENATI’s project to empower and develop the women as a whole part in society and ensure their expertise, it’s implemented this project. A lot of women visited GAENATI daily but we couldn’t accept them because the member of the beneficiaries was restricted to 30 women, this number has been increased, for the follow-up projects.

This project gave us some experience of working on gender issue as we saw a lot of intelligent women with high and secondary education now are sitting at homes and suffering from domestic violence. GAENATI decided somehow to improve their tough

condition.

In May 2004 the project was financed by the Swedish Organization “Kvinna Till Kvinna”(women for women) According to bilateral cooperation between GAENATI and the KTK foundation vulnerable women got their meeting place again, where they are able to share their grief and problems with others. For women was fulfilled psychological rehabilitation lecture, English, Computer courses and other activities brought a healing effect.

Business Administration and Accountancy got women to formulate their strategy of thinking about their own business or create women club to share their ability.

To ensure women role of their potential on education system, to solve the problem of unemployment, to decrease the violence against women is one of the main reason to fulfill this project.

The target group of the project is women from social vulnerable families, indigenous and IDP. Their ages are from 19 to 45

The last result if this project is to give women the certificates and use them of getting jobs. There are about 70% percent of progressive beneficiaries which thanks to these successfully finishing courses started their jobs of various places in our region and they are staying in touch and continue not only friends’ relations but they share their workshops and attitudes about our project with our newcomer beneficiaries and are giving them some lectures. So our project thanks to KTK is continued and we try to improve our potentials time by time.