First ever transnational Georgia/Armenia LEADER project held in Anaklia

From the 5th to the 8th September 2023 the first ever Georgian-Armenian trans-national LEADER project – Women's Camp “KIN-KALI” – was held by Local Action Groups (LAGs) from Georgia and Armenia at the beautiful seaside town of Anaklia, in Western Georgia.

The participants were women entrepreneurs, activists and LAG representatives from three LAG areas of Shirak province in Armenia (Northern Way LAG, Central Shirak LAG and the Aragats Valley LAG) and from 2 municipalities from Georgia (Zugdidi and Akhmeta LAGs). The workshop was also attended by the representatives from Action Against Hunger (AAH) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) in Armenia.

The principal aims of this trans-national project was to foster a greater understanding of gender equality, empower participants to advocate for their rights and to strengthen the cooperation between the LAGs and regions of Georgia and Armenia.

As Nino Todua, from Zugdidi LAG, explained, “Being a participant of the Women’s Camp gave me the chance to exchange ideas, share thoughts and new findings on gender issues with Armenian representatives. It’s very important that women have a platform to discuss gender related issues, share experiences and empower each other. Participation in the Women’s Camp and getting such valuable information was very important for my professional and personal development. I am full of positive emotions and eager to cooperate with the participants of the Women’s Camp in future.”

One of the key activities of the Women's Camp programme was  a trainings on gender issues, such as discrimination, violence against women, women's health and wellness, reproductive and mental health, nutrition and healthy eating. This was complemented by yoga sessions by the seaside. Also media literacy had been identified as an important subject to be covered, so there was as session on analysing information received from the mass media, disinformation and misinformation and gender stereotypes portrayed by the media.

Ester Grigoryan- Gender expert and trainer talked about her motivation in engaging in the project, “I hope sharing knowledge and experience on gender equality topics gave the participants motivation and the will to think, cooperate, and act for equality, not only for themselves, but also for women in their communities. As a participant, I gained new knowledge, a huge source of motivation, new and unforgettable experiences, the nicest friends, and opportunities for further cooperation”

During the Camp, participants also attended trainings on social entrepreneurship. Here, they received valuable information about such entrepreneurial approaches and applied practices in both Georgia and Armenia. They also had the chance to hear from successful local women entrepreneurs who shared their personal journeys and success stories to inspire and motivate participants.

One participant of the project – Gohar Petrosyan – a ceramics artist from Armenia, conducted a masterclass on clay painting techniques. Gohar is a very successful artist in Armenia who creates amazing works based on national themes. Participants also attended an unforgettable culinary masterclass where participants  enjoyed the distinctive dishes and tastes of the local Megrelian cuisine, delivered by a chef from the “Kingdom of Kolkheti” restaurant in Zugdidi.

There was also a cultural-sightseeing tour to the Dadiani Palace and a visit to projects supported by Zugdidi LAG

The final event of the project was held in the very pleasant environment in the garden of the Palm Beach hotel in Anaklia where the participants were awarded certificates. Women's Camp “KIN-KALI” was full of inspiration and emotions and created a strong foundation for future cooperation.

“I’m leaving the Women’s Camp with lots of emotions and great memories. Being a part of the management team gave me the experience and motivation to implement such a project in the future”, said Tamar Gamsakhurdia – Zugdidi LAG Executive Board member

“The program of Camp was full of experiences and variety, amazing masterclasses on handmade products, cultural-sightseeing tours, and the magic of local cuisine. And of course, yoga sessions every morning on the beautiful beach of Anaklia had a hypnotic effect on our state of mind” enthused Bela Marukashvili – Akhmeta LAG Executive Board member.

The study tour was organised by Action Against Hunger with funding from Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) under the project “Improving local governance through inclusive development approaches” and the ADA in  Armenia, under the programme LEAD4Shirak.