Tsintskaro Library: A place where generations come together

When the last bell rings at the public school in the village of Tsintskaro and classes are over, many students hurry to the library. There is a large room allocated for books in the building of the local community foundation, with educational board games and puzzles also available there, which are especially popular among younger students.

This is the only educational and recreational space for young people in Tsintskaro, so during the summer holidays, children often gather there to study or simply when the weather is bad: they read, then choose their favourite novels or authors and exchange views with one another. Those who are members of the youth eco-club sometimes plan clean-up campaigns and greening activities as well.

Megi Shanidze and Tamar Gurchiani have been visiting the library regularly since the day it opened. Both are 17 years old, study in the same class and are also friends. The girls say that many more young people have been coming to the library since new books were added to the shelves.

“This made even more children interested in literature and changed the way we think,” says Megi. “For example, I read the books about women, including works by Elif Shafak, and I think there would be less violence if more people read them.”

“Before, we would not gather here so often,” adds Tamar, “but now third and fourth graders also come to the library. Books have brought together both younger and older kids.”

The books were donated to Tsintskaro Library as part of a community initiative—through the efforts of local women who participated in the localization of the Women, Peace and Security agenda by UN Women. Sixty-five-year-old Eleonora Gurchiani is one of them.

Eleonora is an IDP from the Kodori Gorge and had to resettle in Tsintskaro after the August 2008 war. She soon became involved in community mobilization and opened the first library in the village administrative building. Later, she founded the community foundation “Kodori 2013” together with other women, and she purchased the building where the library is now located.

“When I learned that we would be able to implement community initiatives through the localization project, the first thing I thought about was buying books,” says Eleonora. “We gathered our students and asked them which authors’ works they wanted, and they drew up the list themselves. There were about 50 books in total, and all of them are on these shelves. The children were very happy and grateful. They take such good care of [tracking] the books that they keep a special register to record book loans and returns.”

Tsintskaro is located in Tetritskaro Municipality, in the Kvemo Kartli region. The area is home to many mixed families: some residents are ecomigrants from Adjara, some are from Lentekhi, and others are IDPs from the Kodori Gorge. There are also ethnic Greeks and Azerbaijanis among the local residents. This diversity is also reflected in the public school, where about 300 children study. Eleonora says that the library helps students learn about one another’s different cultures and also brings new life to their daily rural routine.

It was precisely this kind of support to community initiatives that the UN Women project “Accelerating Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Georgia” intended to provide. The project was implemented in 2024–2025 with the generous funding of the UK Government and then continued in 2025–2026 within the framework of the project “Women Act for Peace and Security”, with the aim of strengthening the Women, Peace and Security agenda and empowering local women and youth in the villages affected by conflict and those located adjacent to the dividing line. The participants assessed the needs of their communities, identified priorities and planned various community initiatives to improve people’s daily lives. Eventually, 36 small projects were implemented and brightened the lives of more than 10,000 people. One of the initiatives was the donation of books to Tsintskaro Library.

Megi and Tamar are now using some of these books to prepare for their entrance exams. Megi plans to pursue a law degree, while Tamar plans to study medicine. They say that they have already gone through a large part of the material. Once they pass their exams and become students, they will pass on the tradition and responsibility for the library to the students who follow them. Eleonora, who is a member of the Network of Women and Youth Peace Ambassadors, will also keep on caring for Tsintskaro.

The establishment of the Network, like the overall UN Women project, was implemented in partnership with the IDP Women Association “Consent”, the Women’s Information Center and the Charity Humanitarian Women Fund “Sukhumi”.