Human rights Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Fellows eapcivilsociety.eu

Strong Women – Strong Family

The project Strong Women – Strong Family aimed to empower women in IDP (internally displaced people) communities of Azerbaijan residing at the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict line through awareness-raising activities. The first training on entrepreneurship was launched in the region of Terter and engaged 17 middle-aged women; the leading business mentors shared their expertise in managing microfinance loans and accounting in general. Following this, the second capacity-building training was held in Barda and involved 32 women from the local villages; the invited consultants delivered training on the state grants for the rural women and encouraged them to start or extend their businesses. Finally, the third workshop was conducted in Aghdam and engaged 21 women from the local settlements; the training included the presentation of success stories and information on micro-financing opportunities available in Azerbaijan.

The action empowered approximately 70 women from IDP communities of Azerbaijan through entrepreneurial and capacity-building training in Agdam, Barda, and Tartar (300 km westward from the capital Baku and close to the “line of contact”). The workshops enhanced the financial literacy of the IPD women and boosted their confidence in implementing their own initiatives. Also, the training contributed to tackling stereotypes about the social roles of women living in the IDP communities. Following this, the special training in microfinance, loan management and credit culture served played a crucial role in developing a business mindset in the target-audience and teaching them the best ways to access and manage finances.

Country	Azerbaijan
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Research project on Effects of Labour Migration on Children in Rural Georgia

The action aimed to identify feasible, effective, and acceptable strategies to address the needs of children affected by parental migration in rural Georgia and mitigate the negative impacts of migratory separation on children. The project was implemented in two phases. First, Khatia conducted the field research of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Guria regions and investigated the effects of parental labor migration on children from the teachers’ perspectives; she did Focus-group discussions and In-depth interviews with School Principals and teachers of 6 schools (3 per-region). The survey assessed the indicators, such as children’s behavior, school performance, emotional stability, self-esteem, characteristics, caregiver’s involvement in school activities, etc. In the second phase of the project, Khatia communicated the results and presented the research findings to the school administration and local authorities. Therefore, she hosted public lectures at the Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU), University of Georgia (UG), and Health House in Guria. Taking all above into account, Khatia promoted the research deliverables at the International Conference ‘12th European Public Health Conference, Building bridges for solidarity and public health’ in Marseille, France as a part of her fellowship award.

The project produced academic expertise on challenges faced by the children of migrant parents and raised awareness of the issue on the local and international levels. As the survey reports, more than 90 % of study participants in both target regions (Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Guria) reported the only negative outcomes of parent(s) migration on “Left-behind” Children’s health, wellbeing, and education. Material benefits may be accounted as the only positive aspect; however, it cannot compensate for the negative aspects, such as early marriage, decreased motivation, poor health conditions, unhealthy eating habits, gambling, etc. Unfortunately, migration is often the only solution for the relatively poor families of Georgian rural areas. However, working abroad as a caretaker cannot bring significant financial benefits for the families since the remittances sent back to the country are directed to pay the financial liabilities.

Country	Georgia
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Ability Beyond Disability

The action was an awareness-raising project involving various Ukrainian non-governmental organizations. Through two-days long seminars and several short sessions, Viktoria shared her knowledge and experience in strategic development with the young people at Lviv Educational Foundation. Therefore, she organized an inclusive space within the frame of the Lviv Urban Workshop, where the hosts presented different activities on the topics of disability, inclusion, and accessibility. The event lasted for 4 days and included the exhibition of interactive materials, such as writing in Braille, playing inclusive chess, cycling on tandem bikes with eyes closed, etc. The highlight of the latter event was an Inclusive excursion around Lviv City. Besides, Viktoria initiated a Cycling Marathon with the participation of blind people that required fundraising and planning for three months. Apart from helping other people, the fellowship gave Viktoriya the opportunity to build-capacity for herself; the award enabled her to participate in the international three-day workshops on Art of Participatory Leadership in Denmark and The Art of Hosting Societal Innovation in the Netherlands.

The project reached more than 100+ young beneficiaries of the Lviv Educational Foundation and trained them in strategic development. Hence, the action raised public awareness of the major challenges faced by people with disabilities (PwDs) through discussions, interactive sessions, and exhibitions. Victoria’s 3-month long wholehearted attempt to organize the Tandem Cycling Marathon with the participation of blind people has paid off, as she managed to receive additional financial support from the US Embassy in Ukraine and made this idea possible. Thus, Victoria herself enhanced her personal and professional skills through learning facilitation tools about the Art of Hosting from the professionals in Denmark and the Netherlands.

Country	Ukraine
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Developing the national potential in re-socialization of justice-involved children

The project aimed to research the best practices, methods, and tools to help delinquent children in re-socializing and provide guidelines to the involved stakeholders, including the teachers, psychologists, officers from the National Inspectorate of Probation, police officers and volunteers. To achieve the latter objective, Corneliu did comprehensive and interdisciplinary research of the most effective ways of re-socializing justice-involved children. To explore the best practices, Corneliu undertook three study visits in Romania, Czech Republic, and Germany. During these visits at the Buzias Educational Center, Czech Probationa and Mediation Service, IRZ, Bruke, Don Basco Youth Center, Youth Detention Centre in Dusseldorf, he held discussions with more than 40 field experts. The interviews and in-depth discussions played a crucial role in developing a final publication offering the best role-models targeted on the Moldovan Justice system.

The project produced a research publication introducing international practices on general incentives and mitigation measures of delinquent acts. The book is a guide for the policemen, probation officers, psychologists, pedagogues, and social workers to help juveniles involved in criminal activity. Corneliu published 800 copies of the book and distributed it among the education directorates, policemen, and probation officers across the country. Thus, the guidelines were also shared with the Youth Centers in Chisinau and Social Assistants from Chisinau and Criuleni. Overall, he covered six Moldovan cities, including Chisinau, Balti, Cahul, Gagauzia, Criuleni, Hîncești.

Research paper ‘Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Guidelines (in Russian)’:

Country	Moldova
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Together we can More

The action “Together we can More” aimed to tackle the stereotypical perception of People with Disabilities (PwDs) and engaged different stakeholders to promote equality and accessibility for all. To achieve the above objectives, Tamila organized an inclusive cycling marathon ”I see! I can! I will” engaging cyclists with tandem bikes in Zhovkva, Lviv. The sports event involved overall 45 people from Lviv and neighboring cities. To demonstrate the importance of inclusive sports, two-day capacity-building seminars were held in Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Kherson. The training emerged discussions and joint activities between the visually impaired and sighted attendants. The project engaged up to 100 young people and disseminated in other Ukrainian cities shortly, as the participant organized an inclusive marathon on tandem bikes in Poltava, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kherson by communicating with municipalities, local volunteers, and media.

The action raised awareness about the challenges faced by PwDs in Ukraine and introduced an inclusive sports marathon as a creative solution. The capacity-building seminars and the cycling marathon “I see! I can! I will!” on tandem bikes established contact between visually impaired and sighted people. Also, the project built a sustainable network and cooperation among the initiative group leaders and non-governmental organizations from six different cities of Ukraine. During the events, participants discussed the importance of having equal rights for every member of society. All in all, the project engaged large audiences and promoted the inclusion of PwDs into society. Apart from running awareness-raising campaigns, the project assisted Tamila to enhance her skills in inclusive sport project management through a one-week internship in NGO “TarnovoRuns” in Bulgaria.

Country	Ukraine
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Study on major impediments for women entrepreneurs and explore women’s rights gaps in business activity of Armenia

The project aimed to detect the obstacles in the major gender-specific areas for women-own enterprises and track the positive and negative trends. To achieve the above objective, Diana developed open-ended and structured questionnaires and conducted interviews with 100 women entrepreneurs. The respondents were either executives or business owners during the summer-autumn period of 2018, either from Yerevan (53,7%) or the other six regions (46,3%) of Armenia. The interviews were conducted in a face-to-face format. Diana collected the personal remarks, recommendations, and critics from the women entrepreneurs and finalized them in the assessment report.

The action explored the impediments for women-owned businesses in Armenia and defined further strategic activities to fill the gaps in the legislation and the business environment. The survey researched the business and sectoral diversification of the male-owned but female-managed and fully female-owned enterprises and revealed the trends; for example, businesswomen tend to operate in the field of services, retail trade, manufacturing, and wholesale trade, when the male-owned businesses cover the sectors of tourism, transportation, agricultural, and IT sectors. To raise awareness of the business, governmental and other strategic stakeholders, Diana organized a Public-Private Dialogue meeting and presented the survey results. Also, the research document incorporates a list of initiatives for improvement of the legal system, investment climate, and tax and customs services in Armenia.

Study on Major Impediments for Women Entrepreneurs and Explore Women’s Rights Gaps in Business Activity of Armenia 2018

Country	Armenia
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School Management in Georgia

The fellowship aimed to conduct qualitative research to identify the perspectives of school headmasters on key solutions regarding bullying in schools and report to the decision makers (e.g. Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of Georgia). To explore the bullying prevention instruments and mechanisms, George organized five consultation meetings with the mentors and did desk research; he conducted interviews with the 35 school headmasters from different regions of Georgia and five interviews with the field experts. The research findings (objectives, outcomes, and recommendations about the school management in Georgia) were published in the School Management Journal, which was distributed to the local public schools. Also, George held two regional meetings (a conference in Senaki, Journal presentation in Telavi) and two presentations in Tbilisi (event at the Tbilisi Classis School, a final presentation of the research deliverables). To discuss the bullying prevention tools on a global scale, George attended two International events: One in Kathmandu – The Global Campaign for Education conference and the other at Cambridge University – The London International Conference on Education.

The project produced a research paper introducing the perspectives of school principals, mentors, and field experts on bullying and suggesting a joint action to identify and tackle the issue. The academic document revealed the challenges faced by the secondary educational system, including a lack of a common strategy, action plan as well as a communication platform with partner organizations and school community members. The research findings evolved high interest in the professional circles affiliated with the educational field and stimulated policy discussions with the decision-makers. Apart from developing research-based expertise on bullying at schools, George brought the problem at the forefront of the public debates through the meetings on the local (presentations in Tbilisi), regional (events in Senaki and Telavi), and international (conferences in Kathmandu and London) levels. After the fellowship completion, George started a collaboration with his Azerbaijani colleagues to share the lessons learned and come up with a policy that would suit their environment.

Country	Georgia
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