Community Funds “Nefa” and “Egrisi” Facilitate Improvement of Lives in Communities and Local Population

Date: Wednesday, 6 July 2016

UN Women’s programme team led by Country Representative Erika Kvapilova held a series of meetings with volunteers and representatives of the local Community Funds (CF) Nefa and Egrisi in the villages of Zugdidi Municipality in Samegrelo Region on 5 and 6 July 2016. With the support of UN Women and Taso Foundation, the CFs were established in 2013 by local women, the majority of whom are internally displaced persons from Abkhazia, Georgia. The funding was mainly provided by the Governments of Norway and Sweden. Since then, both CFs have implemented numerous initiatives that contributed to the improved quality of life in their communities.

Meeting with representatives of the local Community Fund Nefa; Photo: Nefa

CF Egrisi promotes volunteerism in the villages of Koki, Orsantia, Rukhi, Rike, Shamgona, Oktomberi, Tsvane, Darcheli, Kirovi, Ergeta and Tkaia. Local volunteers clean public spaces and plant trees; they have assisted in an awareness-raising campaign aimed at the prevention of early marriages; they repaired outpatient clinics in Koki, Orsantia and Rukhi and supplied them with basic medical equipment. CF Egrisi provided toys, children’s books and furniture to the kindergartens of Koki and Orsantia; they opened a puppet workshop in Orsantia for teenagers to create their own marionettes to amuse and educate children in surrounding villages.

“We are always looking at how to help people in villages improve their lives,” remarked Levan Jichonaia, deputy board chairman of CF Egrisi. “Currently, we are implementing a project called Village House; a veterinarian and an agronomist meet with Orsantians, teaching them how to better take care of livestock, poultry, fields and orchards. It is important for people to know not only how to improve yields but also how to take care of the environment. We plan to establish five small agricultural cooperatives for women in Koki and Orsantia. We believe that working in cooperatives will help them to improve their livelihoods and generate income. Many here, especially women, are poor but willing to work.”

Meeting with volunteers; Photo: Nefa

CF Nefa is promoting women’s rights, women’s leadership and civic activism among the youth in several villages along ABL. Nino Korshia and Maia Pipia, founders of CF Nefa, believe that women and youth are agents of change and can contribute to positive transformations in communities. CF Nefa has already implemented 16 initiatives aimed at mobilizing women and youth, increasing social responsibility among community members and strengthening social cohesion of villages. They organized a leadership school for women; have improved access to public spaces for children with disabilities; conducted trainings on inclusive education with the help of a local teacher; organized an information and education campaign on water usage and safety; and have promoted zero tolerance to domestic violence. CF Nepa has not stopped there, however. They know that art and cultural events bring people together like nothing else can. Therefore, CF Nefa used Anaoba (Ana’s Day), a popular public holiday, to celebrate cultural diversity by organizing a festival about Abkhaz-Georgian cultural traditions.

While CF Nefa’s activities were launched with the support of UN Women and Taso Foundation, they have also partnered with other development partners and the private sector. At various times, the CF’s partners have included the European Union, an international organization People in Need, the United Water Supply Company of Georgia, the Bank of Georgia, and others. Ms. Korshia underscored the importance of diverse partnerships within the municipality: “We have assessed the needs and problems in all four villages, and then planned and implemented our interventions. Without strong partnerships with donors and cooperation with the municipality, none of the needs could be met.”

CF Nefa believes in the importance of scaling up their experience and “infecting” others to become more active. With financial support from the Government of Australia, CF Nefa provides small grants up to thousand GEL to self-help groups in the four villages of Anaklia, Tsvane, Ergeta and Ganmukhuri. The grants are used to promote a healthy lifestyle among the youth.

“It is impressive to see the older and the young, women (obviously in leadership!) and men working together to improve life in their villages,” noted Country Representative Erika Kvapilova. “They look around, see a problem, get together, develop a plan, meet those who have power and resources, and do not give up until it’s done. These people may be poor in terms of income, but they are rich in terms of determination and commitment to the next generation.”

Currently, with the support of UN Women, CFs Nefa and Egrisi are working on rehabilitating kindergartens in the villages of Tkaia, Anaklia and Ergeta. Poor technical infrastructure, collapsing buildings, and the lack of furniture, toys and books for children are only a few among the most obvious problems impairing these services. The quality and accessibility of kindergartens is also one of the key reasons why local women refrain from using these services. It goes without saying that this significantly contributes to their inability to look for gainful employment or be engaged in public life. With support from CF Egrisi, the kindergarten in Tkaia will renovate a kitchen and playroom and will rehabilitate a playground. CF Nefa will provide new toys and improve the yard for children in Anaklia and Ergeta kindergartens. In addition, Ergeta’s kindergarten will have a new façade and kitchen furniture. Thanks to the determination of caring community members and some 7,000 euro collected by the Austrian UN Women National Committee from private donors, the kids will certainly be happier and safer, and their parents will be less hesitant to enable their kids to enjoy the company of their peers in kindergarten.