Austrian and Swiss Ambassadors meet with women participating in economic empowerment project

Supported by the Austrian and Swiss Governments, UN Women has been working on the economic empowerment of women in the regions of Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti since 2019. The activities implemented within the framework of this initiative help rural women to actively engage in public life and make positive changes, acquire new knowledge, skills and professions, receive small grants and provide their families with what is sometimes their household’s only source of income.

With the purpose of meeting with these women and learning about their activities and impact, Austrian Ambassador to Georgia Robert Gerschner, Swiss Ambassador to Georgia Heidi Grau and UN Women Country Representative in Georgia Kaori Ishikawa visited the regions of Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti from 23 to 25 June.

The visit began with the Swiss Ambassador’s trip to Kakheti. Ms. Grau met with rural women from Akhmeta and Telavi municipalities who are involved in the social mobilization initiative. They are taking an active part in determining local priorities and budgeting. The women shared with Ms. Grau the needs in their communities and the problems that have been addressed through the activities of self-help groups.

The Swiss Ambassador also met with members of the Council of Elder Women, who work towards promoting women’s rights in the Pankisi Gorge. Then, Ms. Grau visited Inga Chokheli’s choreography studio in the village of Matani, Luisa Dakishvili’s bakery and café in Birkiani, and Marine Tokhosashvili’s non-alcoholic beer brewery in Omalo. It is noteworthy that all three women purchased the necessary inputs thanks to a grant received under the UN Women project and developed their businesses.

The following day, Austrian Ambassador Robert Gerschner joined the visit. The diplomats went to Marneuli Municipality in Kvemo Kartli to visit the greenhouse farms in the villages of Akhali Dioknisi and Araplo; local women set up these farms within the framework of a joint programme between UN Women and the Rural Development Agency. Later, the guests also engaged with women involved in social mobilization in the village of Maradisi and learned about their achievements.

One of these entrepreneurs is Naira Paksadze, a farmer and owner of a greenhouse farm in Maradisi who is also actively involved in community mobilization and builds special cases of solidarity together with other women. After the visit, she remarked: “The ambassadors’ visit is a great honour for the entire village. We shared stories about our community and told them how life here has changed since the launch of the project. We also spoke about how we, the homemakers taking care of livestock, grain fields and orchards, started up our businesses and became trainers who now motivate and advise other women to start their [own] businesses. We showcased how successful and important the activities supported with small grants have been.”

Ms. Paksadze and her fellow villagers also focused on the challenges and needs during their meeting with the ambassadors: The women are planning to purchase a cold storage facility and packaging equipment to safely store their surplus harvest and sell it in branded packaging on the market. “We are constantly developing,” she added. “We are always thinking about future success. We want to make our village of Maradisi a European village, and we are always moving forward. I hope we will have the opportunity to do so.”

On the last day of their visit, the Austrian and Swiss Ambassadors visited the municipalities of Akhalkalaki and Aspindza in Samtskhe-Javakheti. The diplomats met with members of self-help groups and civil society organizations and discussed the challenges faced by the women’s rights organizations in the region. Later, in Aspindza Municipality, they visited Mzia Surmanidze in the village of Khertvisi to see her rabbit farm, Larisa Gvaramadze in Toloshi to see her cheese enterprise, and Lia Maghradze in Nakalakevi to see her mill. Like the women in Akhmeta Municipality, these women entrepreneurs started or developed their businesses with small grants awarded by UN Women.

Supported by the Austrian and Swiss Governments, UN Women has been implementing the project “Women’s Economic Empowerment in the South Caucasus” since 2019, in collaboration with the TASO Foundation and the Kakheti Regional Development Foundation (now known as the Sakartvelo Regional Empowerment Foundation). Since then, the social mobilization initiative has brought together more than 1,600 women in all three regions. More than 300 small grants have been awarded, and more than 900 women have been trained within the framework of the project, which is generously funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).