Sub-grant program
More than a year has passed since the moment when the lives of many residents of southern Kyrgyzstan changed. Cardinally. For some it is irrevocable. But now, when life is gradually improving, and people are beginning to rebuild their homes, business, relationships, it is more necessary than ever to maintain and strengthen that cherished, but fragile peace and harmony. In this respect, people, as a social resource, are the most important and effective tools.
“When the riots broke out in Osh, my mother did not let me leave my house and go to Osh, thus, I am sure, she saved my life,” - the words of a young man named Iskender from Nookat.
“I have many Kyrgyz girlfriends, I am friends with neighbors of other nationalities, and in my children I bring up tolerance and philanthropy, regardless of any conditions. After all, when a person communicates with people of different faith, ethnicity, worldview, he develops spiritually and mentally, ”says Samida, a resident of Jalal-Abad.
And these are not the only examples when women, being mothers, wives, sisters, were able to prevent the intensification and development of the conflict. In other words, women are peacemakers, have great potential for peacebuilding and make positive changes in the development of society.
In November 2010, UN Women launched the project “Strengthening the capacity of women and vulnerable groups in communities to restore peace and harmony in Kyrgyzstan”. The main target resource of the project is the Network of Women Peacekeepers of Kyrgyzstan, consisting of 20 local Women's Committees (JMC) in Batken, Jalal-Abad and Osh regions, which at the regional local, regional and regional levels carried out activities to achieve peace and harmony in Kyrgyzstan.
Key facts
Years of implementation: 2011
Place of implementation: Osh, Batken and Jalal-Abad regions
Donor: UN Women
Partner: Foundation for Solidarity International (FTI), Association in Support of Women Entrepreneurs of Kyrgyzstan (WESA), Jalal-Abad Women's Leaders Association
Contact: general@rdf.in.kg
Objective of the project
As part of the main idea of the Structure for the Promotion of Gender Equality and the Protection of Women's Rights, the project aims to empower and ensure greater participation of women in the settlement of ethnic and social conflicts and peacemaking.
Project partners and main activities
The project brings together the efforts of such organizations as Fund for International Solidarity (FTI), Association for the Support of Women Entrepreneurs of Kyrgyzstan (WESA), Association of Women Leaders of Jalal-Abad and Rural Development Fund (RDF) for implementation of a large plan of activities, which includes, but is not limited to, conducting training and seminars, providing legal advice, as well as implementing a micro-grant program.
RDF and Sub-grant program of the project
Within the framework of this project, RDF was responsible for the implementation of a sub-grant program, which is provided to members and target groups of the Women's Network. Sub-grant program The total fund of the sub-grant program was USD 50,000 and it was implemented in two stages until mid-September 2011.
Goals and objectives of the Sub-grant program of the project
The program is focused on achieving the following objectives:
- strengthening the image of the Women's Peace Committees created within the framework of the project at the district and regional levels and their ability to assist the members of the Network and the committees in the implementation of practical activities aimed at restoring peace and harmony in Kyrgyzstan;
- providing members of the Women's Peace Committees with the skills to analyze and resolve conflicts;
- providing an opportunity to search and find mechanisms and methods for resolving conflicts and ways to build and strengthen peace and good neighborliness;
- participation of members of the Women's Network and Peace Committees in decision-making on conflict resolution;
- increasing the role of women and vulnerable groups of communities in the prevention and resolution of conflict situations;
- approbation of practical methods and mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflict situations.
Activities under the Sub-grant program of the project
The main feature of the project is the close relationship in the work of each of the project implementing partners. During the first phase of the project, RDF experts worked closely with colleagues from partner organizations. For example, after the completion of trainings on conflict resolution, organized by FTI, representatives of regional and district women's committees of the world formed the main directions for micro-grants. In the next step, RDF developed a micro-project guide and provided training on writing and preparing project proposals. Potential grantees formalized their ideas in the form of applications and proposals and presented them to the district representatives of the ZhKM. In order to ensure the transparency of the application selection processor, the selection of projects was carried out by a specially created grant committee, which included representatives of the state regional administration, a non-governmental