The International Center of War Affected Women (ICWAW) was created for people who are facing problems caused by war. The center helps women develop and find the help they need. To find out more about it, GEORGIA TODAY spoke to chairperson of the ICWAW – Marika Arevadze.
“The International Center of War Affected Women (ICWAW) was created on the basis of the Alliance of the Georgian-Ukrainian Commonwealth. The Center began to help only Ukrainian women who suffered from the war, but the problem of the war affected not only Ukraine, before that there was Georgia. Delving into the problem of war victims, the problem turned out to be wider, and now our goal is to support Georgian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Azerbaijani and other women affected by the war in our region,” she tells us.
Who are your beneficiaries?
The direct beneficiaries are women affected by war, regardless of their current legal status, as well as women who are still under the influence of the consequences of the war, including those from regions under occupation or creeping occupation, even if the beneficiary does not necessarily have the status of an IDP or refugee.
What is the main goal of the International Center of War Affected Women (ICWAW)?
War has dire consequences for everyone, including women. These people lose both their family members and their source of income, as a result of which they face moral and economic problems. Our goal is to create a unified space with the involvement of beneficiaries, where war-affected women will be supported to develop various skills. In addition, we try to find help solving the problems they have. At this stage, we have several ongoing projects, one of which is aimed at teaching Georgian language to Ukrainian women affected by the war. Within the framework of other projects, we teach women ceramics, sewing, and help them learn a new profession so that they can create a source of income with their new skills.
How do you find beneficiaries?
We not only communicate directly with the beneficiaries, but also with organizations working in this direction in the region, and find beneficiaries this way. Since this is a non-governmental organization, we communicate with foundations, make agreements, and start implementing projects.
Tell us about your future plans.
Our future plan is to create a space where we can get information directly from women about their problems and help them overcome these challenges. Although a long time has passed since the wars in Abkhazia, Tskhinvali and 2008, people still feel the negative consequences of them. That is why meetings are planned in the regions to understand their problems and help them to solve them.
By Mariam Mtivlishvili
