Women in conflict-affected areas

I work with local communities in a conflict-affected area – in my home place Abkhazia. I see how all the hard work is done by women, who are doing everything to support their families. They make money but no decisions.

I believe that women’s participation in decision-making on the community level starts at home. We work systematically to break the existing gender stereotypes, to empower women and show them how they can have a say in their communities.

Recognising the unique needs of beneficiaries

Work related stress is most commonly associated with a conventional urban workplace, but stay-at-home rural women are often very stressed as well. They have the same long working hours but receive no appreciation. We can provide them financial support but it will not help them to challenge harmful social norm and stereotypes. The only sustainable solution is to empower them so they can become role models for wider social and behavioural change. It is a very challenging task. This is why I am very proud to see what our interventions help to achieve.

We come in with concrete examples - and my personal story also helps. I tell them how I started from having nothing, and how I was motivated to work on my skills, to learn, to listen and then also to help others.

What creates a long-lasting peace

Through one of our recent projects in rural areas of Samegrelo region, we found so many capable stay-at-home women that don’t realise their voices actually matter. They joined us, spoke up and acknowledged that it was very inspirational to connect with others and to feel part of society. We trained these women, and as a result, they got jobs.

Working with young people, and young women in particular is rewarding in a different way. Young people are very direct and driven. Every time I join activities of our Young Leaders’ Hub, I am amazed by how many innovative ideas are put forward. And I see how these young Georgians bring really quick changes to their communities. By implementing small-scale initiatives for their peers, they work on raising awareness about the importance and relevance of peace and security in the region.

Leveraging women’s mediation skills

Men still dominate peacebuilding processes, especially in my country. I would love to see more women being engaged in mediation. We excel at problem-solving and we are good at making smart decisions. Women should have the same opportunities as men do in peacebuilding as well.

If we, competent and experienced women leaders, are each fighting separately, we will not be able to achieve our goals. But together we can build something very tangible and bring transformational changes for all. That is why I applied to join the Women’s Peace Leadership Programme, and when I got accepted I was simply speechless. I am 43, and I never stopped learning. This Programme is, first of all, an opportunity for me to further grow my skills, but also the place where I connect with women mediators and peacebuilders, like myself.