IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report
FINAL NARRATIVE REPORT
CONFIDENCE IN RECOVERY
01.02.2014 - 30.11.2015
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Table of contents
1. Description 3 2. Assessment of implementation of Action activities 4 3. Beneficiaries/affiliated entities and other Cooperation 20 4. Visibility 22 5. Location of records, accounting and supporting documents 23
List of acronyms used in the report
HCA-Armenia Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly (project partner in Armenia) PLA Participatory Learning and Action WPRU Women’s Problems Research Union (project partner in Azerbaijan) 1325 project EC funded project “Strengthening Women’s Capacity for Peace-Building in South Caucasus”
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1. Description 1.1. Name of Coordinator of the grant contract: CARE Österreich 1.2. Name and title of the Contact Person: Julia Weber (Program Officer), CARE Österreich Khatuna Madurashvili (Project Coordinator), CARE International in the Caucasus 1.3. Name of Partners in the Action: - Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, Armenia (Yerevan) - Women’s Problems Research Union, Azerbaijan (Baku) 1.4. Title of the Action: Confidence in Recovery 1.5. Contract number: IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 1.6. Start date and end date of the Action: 1 February 2014 – 30 November 2015 1.7. Target country(ies) or region(s): Armenia and Azerbaijan 1.8. Final beneficiaries &/or target groups (including numbers of women and men): Target group: Rural communities in Armenia and Azerbaijan populated by marginalised people that have been directly affected by the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, incl. minority women, IDPs/refugees, returnees, widows, relatives of injured or missing persons, war invalids, ex- combatants and socially vulnerable women in areas that might be affected by renewed conflict.
Final beneficiaries: - The two target communities (Goris in Armenia, Pirshagi in Azerbaijan), among them disadvantaged women in particular, benefitted from information and knowledge on gender equality and women’s rights, increased participation and public visibility of their needs and rights; - Coordination Teams of Educational Clubs and other Club members received different trainings and support for community mobilization on various issues. They have built their capacities as organisers, managers and leaders and also developed their analytical skills. - Target community members received soft and business skills training, information on civil rights and women’s rights and have improved their opportunities to find work. - Local decision-makers benefited from increased capacity of local civil society actors to provide information and input useful for decision-making; - Local media received human interest stories and quality information on gender issues which are usually under-researched and under-reported; - Broader society/other communities received information through the project;
Actual numbers of beneficiaries: Total number of direct beneficiaries of the project is 1,491 (unique number). - 211 persons built their soft and business skills, among them 171 women and 40 men; - 1,346 individuals (1,121 in Armenia and 225 in Azerbaijan) took part in educational/cultural local events (community workshops, forums, roundtables, public lectures etc.) organized by Clubs, among them 70 % women and 30% men; - Educational Club members: 13 in Goris, among them 5 Coordination Teams and 8 activists (4 men). 2013.1 Page 3 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report
18 in Pirshagi, among them 4 Coordination Teams and 14 activists of the Club (5 men).
1.9. Country(ies) in which the activities take place (if different from 1.7): Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
2. Assessment of implementation of Action activities 2.1. Executive summary of the Action Confidence in recovery (hereafter CR) was a twenty–two-month project that focused on partnering with national NGOs in Armenia and Azerbaijan to establish two Educational Clubs in conflict-affected target communities and build the skills and confidence of community members, especially women, to defend their rights and advocate for community needs. CR was designed to widen the space within society for more people to become engaged in peace building initiatives by building cells of people within the society who have benefited from receiving direct information from the other side of the conflict and having had first-hand experience of exchanging and learning. In addition, the project aimed at broadening the range of people who were interested to take part in people to people diplomacy initiatives.
The partner organisations, together with CARE, supported this work, brought attention to the successes of women’s activism, and advocated for the greater inclusion of women in public and political life. In this way, the project tried not only to make use of the largely untapped potential of women in dealing with local development issues, but also to develop new perspectives on cross- conflict dialogue initiatives and separate actions. This was achieved through connecting them with grassroots-level and including a wider range of topics that are of most concern to those people who feel the brunt of the unresolved conflicts. Engagement still needs to be raised in questions of civic activism, policy dialogue and protection of rights to enforce solidarity between people on strategic issues of wellbeing. There are few spaces available to discuss community affairs or even to create a sense of community. This not only obstructs people’s ability to imagine a common interest, but also prevents the flow of information.
Conflict-affected populations in Armenia and Azerbaijan have suffered from, and continue to experience isolation from mainstream society, trauma, and a range of socio-economic issues, many of which stem from the lack of integration into their new communities. Therefore, this project aimed to raise the leadership of women in the community and increase the visibility of the contributions that women are making to community life.
Initially, the project was planned to concentrate on three communities, one in Armenia (Goris / Sandi Dzor) and two in Azerbaijan (Pirshagi and Ramana). Goris and Pirshagi were selected by CARE and its partners. Raman community was added according to the request from the EU Delegation in Azerbaijan and executive authorities of Nagorni Karabakh Autonomous Republic in exile in order to share with them the experience from Pirshagi and Goris Clubs on how to activate the community and advocate for needs and interests of community members as well as to increase their capacity in this work. It was foreseen that some problems could arise during the initial stage of the project in Ramana. The project took into consideration the official requirements of Azerbaijan to register projects prior to the implementation and to receive permission to work with IDPs from the relevant authorities. All necessary procedures were covered and all permissions were obtained which took more than two months. The last challenge was to arrange proper buildings to establish the Educational Clubs. Clubs were established in Goris and in Pirshagi but there were difficulties to find a suitable building in Ramana. This IDP settlement was established near Baku. Beside the IDP houses in the community there are two administrative buildings, one public school and another musical school. There were no options to establish the Club, as according to the order of the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan it is prohibited to use school facilities for any other reason except schooling. The project staff considered different alternatives and in agreement with the EU it was decided to change the target community. Thereafter, the project Team assessed the IDP settlements near Baku, and identified the community of Dan Ulduzu in Sumgait to replace Ramana community. Around 400 families are placed there (65% are 2013.1 Page 4 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report women), and facilities for the establishment of the Educational Club were available. Local partners submitted all documents to receive the permission for work but in the meantime the situation in Azerbaijan deteriorated which made it impossible to include a different IDP settlement. Therefore, the project focused only on two communities of displaced people – Goris (Armenia) and Pirshagi (Azerbaijan). In these two communities Educational Clubs have been successfully established as focal points in the communities: for people to receive marketable skills to support their employment opportunities, to create space for debates and discussions on issues of importance to the community, and to establish a centre of cultural activity that builds not only a sense of communal life, but also targets people from the wider, mainstream society, thus including people who have been isolated.
The Action contained three separate components: - Educational Courses to promote skills that are demanded by employers, such as English language, IT and business skills; - The Cultural/ Informational initiatives include a variety of activities to broaden the knowledge of dynamics in wider society, and give the opportunity to establish contacts with people from beyond their immediate surroundings; - Regional meetings and workshops to spread information across conflict lines by giving members of the Coordination Teams the opportunity to learn about their practice together and share ideas about the types of activities that have proved successful or popular.
Education Clubs were equipped and started working in March 2014 (the second month of the project implementation). With involvement of active groups of women from previous projects1 the information meetings in the communities were held in a friendly atmosphere. The members of the target communities got information about the project objectives, the principles of the selection of coordination Team members, requirements for the Clubs’ work, procedures for identification of the demand from local population, procedures for advertisement and selection of course participants and teachers of the training courses. As a result the coordination Teams of the Clubs were selected. The Education Club of Goris selected a coordination Team which consists of 5 women, who are representatives of the refugee community, members of the local NGO and members of the local executive authorities. The Coordination Team of the Pirshagi Education Club includes 4 women from the IDP community and from the local population.
One of the project goals was to focus on capacity building of the members of the Coordination Teams and make the Educational Clubs’ activities effective and relevant to the needs and interests of the community members in order to engage a broad representation of community members in the Clubs’ activities and increase visibility of the Education Clubs and its Coordination Teams, their goals, and purpose. The Coordination Teams have increased their capacity in leadership, team building, community mobilization and implementation of their knowledge in their work to strengthen the capacity of the Educational Clubs, to address the community needs and interest, to organize community assessments and local cultural/informational events. In total 1,346 persons attended local events (community workshops, forums, roundtables, public lectures etc.) organized by the Clubs, among them 70 % women and 30% men.
Educational Clubs have been organizing meetings twice per month with active Club members in order to discuss the upcoming plans, analyse feedback on organized activities and to follow the community needs and interests. The local project partners were conducting monthly monitoring visits in order to support the scale up of the Coordination Team activities and their influence on the local community. The Clubs implemented activities based on regular interaction between the Coordination Team and the target community. They were able to elicit their needs and interests as well as to ensure engagement of all layers of the community (men and women, different age groups, etc.). Informational/cultural events were organized on a monthly basis.
1 Such as the “Strengthening women’s capacity for peace building in the South Caucasus region” project in the frame of which CARE and its partners worked for 3,5 years in both target communities. The previously established cooperation between the project and local authorities also played a very important role for the start of the CR project.. 2013.1 Page 5 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report
In total around 211 persons participated in locally organized trainings, among them 123 in marketable skills courses and 88 in basic trainings. At first, courses on IT and English were foreseen by the project. Additional courses were identified based on surveys and outreach carried out by the Coordination Team and in consideration of the local labour market demand and community interest.
Initially it was planned to organize two basic and two business skills trainings in each of target communities. IT and English language courses were conducted in both Educational Clubs. The rest of the educational activities were not possible to continue in Azerbaijan due to the local political circumstances. Goris Educational Club conducted all courses and made some extensions for the population of surrounding villages, which joined the Club recently. One of the beneficiaries of the English courses in Goris Educational Club has been offered a job as a guide in the touristic complex of Tatev Monastery. In total 24 women from Sandi Dzor, Goris Social House, Artashen and Shainur took part in courses on knitting wool socks. All of them received orders for wool socks from Yerevan Mayor’s Office. Moreover. the Goris Recourse Centre also offered support in realization of their production through the network of the Recourse Centre.
In hairdressing courses around 19 women participated, 9 from Goris and 10 from four surrounding villages. One of these beneficiaries passed an internship in a local beauty salon and got a job. 4 girls from surrounding villages who attended the trainings got funding from the World Bank and were able to buy equipment and establish small rooms for hairdressing in their villages. Inhabitants of the Social House in Goris negotiated with the local government and got a small rehabilitated room in the house for a beauty salon.
A training course on table design and catering services was provided for 13 women from Sandi Dzor, Social House and Goris. As a result some of the participants established a catering service. They spread information on their activities through social media and local recourses in order to promote their services and received various orders. In future they are planning to extend their business and they are looking for investors and partners. Another five participants from this course were selected among 200 women from Lori and Syunik Marz who will receive financial support and consultancy in order to start-up a small business under another initiative financed by the EU. They will receive funds of 800€ for purchasing technical equipments and assets for opening the catering service.
The Coordination Team members of Goris Educational Club attended a working meeting of the local executive body where they advocated for their community needs, in particular they submitted a budget and a proposal for roof repairing projects. The project was taken into consideration. In the second year of action the greatest emphasis of Educational Club in Goris was on the work in the Social House of elderly people. The Club scaled up its activities and took over the mentorship on the House. Most of its inhabitants are refugees. There were different initiatives implemented to support the Social House starting with cleaning actions, celebration of various public holidays and organizing public campaigns to raise resources for the stove heating. The last one was acknowledged as most successful campaign in the city. Educational Club members have involved different stakeholders and collected for the heating of the Social House financial and material resources which are enough for the next three winters.
The project took steps to spread information across conflict lines by giving members of the Coordination Teams the opportunity to share ideas about the types of activities that have proven successful or popular. In order to allow members of the Coordination Teams to meet and learn from each other’s practice the project organized three workshops. Towards the end of the project, CARE gathered a wider group of participants in the Clubs’ activities of both conflict parties and facilitated a workshop to share experiences and establish personal relations. CARE and its partners facilitated this link between Clubs across the conflict divide to question negative stereotypes and promote tolerance.
Situation in Azerbaijan In May 2014 the Government of Azerbaijan announced a new provision of NGO legislation and decreed the re-registration of all NGOs. At the same time, the Government ordered the local banks to freeze the funds transferred from abroad to NGOs in Azerbaijan for project implementation activities. The re-registration process is still ongoing. Our project partner was re-registered in July 2014 but not 2013.1 Page 6 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report allowed to continue with operations. On September 30th, 2015 the parliamentary committees on legal and economic policy issues in Azerbaijan considered amendments to the laws "On NGOs, Associations and Foundations" and "On Grants". According to the Head of the Committee on Legal Policy, Ali Huseynli, the proposed amendments were motivated by the need to fight corruption and to ensure transparency of NGO activities. These amendments determine the size and registration of cash donations to local NGOs and branches of foreign NGOs, and require the provision of information about individuals who donate funds. Bank transactions of donations which are missing information about individuals who have made donations won’t be allowed. The Committee supported the amendments and passed them on for panel discussion in the Milli Mejli (the National Assembly). The law entered into force but the implementation was postponed due to the need of additional provisions in the local legislation.
The implementation of the Azerbaijani component of the Confidence in Recovery project was hampered by the described political situation in Azerbaijan. CARE´s second fund transfer (10,000 EUR) to the project partner has been inaccessible since May 2014. In the subsequent months, the partner managed to continue implementing the project to some extent. But then the point was reached where it was impossible to continue the project implementation in Azerbaijan due to both the financial and the political situation which has become less and less conducive for NGOs. The situation in Azerbaijan remains unchanged until present, the enforcement of the new NGO legislation is still pending and the organizational bank accounts of NGOs are still frozen.
Due to the political situation and above explained circumstances the project work in Azerbaijan was suspended from December 2014 till June 2015. Given the current situation, it has become impossible for NGOs to work in Azerbaijan without a high risk involved for partners and beneficiaries. IDP settlements where our project activities were supposed to take place are subject to particular close observation by the Government. Therefore, it was decided in accordance with the EU to relocate the project activities from Azerbaijan (Kizilkum IDP settlement in Pirshagi and Dan Ulduzu IDP settlement in Sumgait) to Armenia, to adjust the implementation approach in Azerbaijan and to focus on facilitating Pirshagi Coordination Team members and beneficiaries to participate in the regional workshop and study tour to Georgia together with the project participants from Armenia. In Armenia, the project extended the ongoing activities of the Sandi Dzor Educational Club in Goris/Syunik Marz to the surrounding four refugee communities (Shinuhair, Karashen, Khot and Hartashen) in order to provide educational support to these communities too and to invite active women to unify around the existing Educational Club in Sandi Dzor condominium. This was done in cooperation with the Armenian project partner “Helsinki Citizens Assembly”.
Specific Objectives Indicator 1 – 50% of project beneficiaries demonstrate tolerance towards people from communities on the other side of the conflict. According to the evaluation report contact between people from either side of the conflict divide is an indispensable first step for people to establish relationships through which they can begin considering how some kind of mutual coexistence can begin. At the same time, participants on both sides have indicated the curiosity that exists in their societies about the views and understandings of the other side, even if talking about this openly is not yet socially acceptable. As a result of the project there are at least 19 new persons who have the experience of participating in cross-conflict meetings and could be effective participants in such events in the future – should conditions in the enabling environment change.
Indicator 2 – 75% of project beneficiaries actively look to capitalize on skills developed during the project. Beneficiaries in every target community have managed to turn knowledge or contacts gained through the Educational Clubs’ programming into opportunities for their own development. What is more, persons interviewed have actively made the connecting between finding and taking advantage of opportunities and their own skills and initiative in contributing to the creation of these opportunities. This is a significant conceptual leap for marginalised persons in depressed and isolated areas emerging from the heritage of a Soviet-style government paternalism. 123 persons participated in the marketable skills trainings organized by the Educational Clubs. 88 beneficiaries of basic skills trainings (IT and 2013.1 Page 7 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report
English language) already utilized their knowledge in different occasions in the communities and for various educational purposes. 24 women who have leant knitting wool socks were involved at the end of the courses in the network of knitters and got employment opportunity. 19 persons participated in hair dressing courses and at least six of them already have begun to earn some form of an income. 13 women were taught how to provide qualified buffet design and catering service. Right at the end of the courses 8 women organized the group and started to receive orders and very soon became known in the city. Another five women received financial support and consultancy in order to start-up a small business under another initiative of the EU. All this happened as a result of their contact with the Educational Clubs, which has not only improved their own livelihood opportunities but have also added to the status of the Educational Clubs and their support in the community.
Indicator 3 – 30% of target community members join Educational Clubs. Education Clubs are located in Pirshagi and Sandi Dzor where the total number of population is more than 600 inhabitants. Additionally, Sandi Dzor Educational Club took mentorship on the Social House in Goris and the four surrounding villages. The total number of people who actively participated in the project activities is 1,491. This is much higher number than was foreseen at the beginning.
Indicator 4 – At least two project participants from each target community capitalise or develop relationships with guests from the cultural/ informational programme. In all target areas there are concrete examples of new contacts made through the project because it opened doors for members of the displaced communities to realise themselves. The best examples are the Social House in Goris and 4 surrounding villages. Their inclusion in the project was based on the work done by the Club. Several events were organized for the support of the Social House inhabitants. During these events Club members were able to cooperate with local key stakeholders and to bring their attention to the problems of old refugees residing in the Social House without heating. The Club organized in collaboration with local authorities a social campaign in order to collect firewood and money for the winterization of the Social House for the next three years.
2.2. Results and Activities Progress towards the expected results: At least nine women from conflict-affected communities in Armenia and Azerbaijan have built their skills in designing and managing an activity plan in response to community needs, monitoring the response to these activities and adjusting plans and strategies in response to gender indicators The Educational Clubs in Pirshagi and Sandi Dzor consist of 9 active women (5 from Sandi Dzor and 4 from Pirshagi). The core group of activists have increased their knowledge through different types of trainings. They implement their knowledge in the work they are conducting to strengthen the capacity of the Educational Clubs, to address the community needs and interests as well as to organize community assessments and local cultural/informational events. An important success was reached by the Coordination Team in Goris (Sandi Dzor). On 19th September 2015 the Day of Civil Society was celebrated in Goris. It was organised by the Network for Community Development Support which is a network of local civil society organizations from Sunik Marz, Armenia. The event was attended by representatives of the local authorities, NGOs, mass media and business circles. During the event, some NGOs were awarded with certificates of honour and gratitude because their activities contributed to the formation and development of civil society. One of the awardees was the condominium of Sandi Dzor which was honoured for its outstanding work in the development and implementation of community-based initiatives. It was noted (1) that Sandi Dzor can serve as a model for other newly formed condominiums in terms of organization, cohesiveness and initiative, (2) that the residents of Sandi Dzor became active not only in their small community, but they were also involved in many civic initiatives at the level of the whole city, and (3) that they have achieved visible success in the integration of refugees and local communities and thus became one of the most active centres of civil initiatives in Goris.
- At least 72 different people from the target communities in Armenia and Azerbaijan have acquired skills that widen their range of economic opportunities
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In total 123 training participants acquired knowledge on locally demanded marketable skills. Specific subjects of these courses were selected based on surveys and outreach designed by CARE and the project partners and carried out by the Coordination Teams. The Educational Clubs in Pirshagi and Sandi Dzor organized computer literacy and English language courses. Additionally, the Sandi Dzor Club organized 7 training cycles, dedicated to buffet design and catering service, social media (two courses), hairdressing and knitting wool socks. Sandi Dzor community members and inhabitants of the 4 surrounding villages participated in these trainings. Another 88 participants increased their knowledge during the basic trainings on personal development and communication, community mobilization, team building, leadership and gender and on voluntarism.
At least 500 people have attended cultural/informational activities on the Clubs programmes The Educational Club in Sandi Dzor organized 29 cultural/informational programmes: opening of the Educational Club and presentation of the project; cleaning of the territory adjacent to the Educational Club Sandy Dzor and planting trees; broadcasting the movie "The Iranian spaghetti" and organising a discussion on the topic of tolerance; competition of children's drawings dedicated to the International Children's Day; evening of bard and guitar music; open discussion on the problems of refugees dedicated to the World Refugee Day; information session on healthy food and proper nutrition for children; summer camp (7 days) for children; photo exhibition "dialogue between the generations"; round table "the role and functions of the elders"; information session about volunteerism; New Year's celebration for the refugees of Sandy Dzor and from the Social House; musical evening for the elderly refugees living in the Social House; community cleaning day for the Social House of refugees; children’s performance and writing about Easter; cleaning of the territory adjacent to the Social House; opening of playground on the backyard of Sandi Dzor; sport competition for children of Sandi Dzor and surrounding communities; training on personal development and communication; round table discussion dedicated to International Peace Day; celebration of International day of Elderly People; master-class on photography; celebration of Teacher’s Day; forum-theatre; screening and discussion of movie against trafficking; networking event of development and implementation of civic initiatives; opening of public square in the village; final event of the project with the presentation of the Participatory Learning Assessment (PLA) findings and future opportunities.
The Club in Pirshagi organized 11 cultural/informational programmes: information meeting about the "Confidence in Recovery" project and presentation of the Educational Club; Poetry Day and the Day of Nowruz; forum theatre along with the discussion generations; celebration of World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, along with public lectures on the topic; roundtable dedicated to the World Refugee Day; children excursion in Baku; international experience on conflict resolution and participation of women in peace-building; round table discussion on changes which have occurred in the life of women in the community in the last years; round table discussion on how to achieve confidence in recovery; 15th anniversary of UN 1325 resolution and roundtable to share results and finding of the regional meeting in Georgia.
As a result of a cultural/informational programmes the Educational Clubs improved their visibility and status in their own communities; in total around 1,121 (in Armenia) and 225 (in Azerbaijan) people participated in these events.
At least 20 people had the opportunity to receive direct information from conflict-affected people from the other side of the conflict on their conditions, needs and changes that have occurred since displacement. Around 38 reports of the Educational Clubs on informational/cultural activities and quarterly action plans have been developed, translated and submitted to CARE and were shared across the project areas. The project organized two joint workshops and one study tour to Tbilisi to connect members of the target communities with each other across the conflict divide. The aim was to build a better understanding of the day-to-day problems being experienced by conflict-affected persons on the other side, as well as to create opportunities for project participants to generate new ideas by meeting other women activists from conflict-affected communities. These meetings were used to establish cross- border ties and to ensure that activities in Armenia and Azerbaijan are conducted in a parallel manner, using similar methodological approaches and interventions. During both meetings the Coordination
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Teams and the beneficiaries of the Educational Clubs (in total 30 participants) shared their activity plans and experience of participation in the project, exchanged ideas about how best to conduct community outreach and cultural/ informational activities and developed new ideas by meeting other women activists from conflict-affected communities.
R1 – Locally based coordination team of Educational Clubs have skills to engage communities, elicit needs and interests and design inclusive programs, monitor their implementation and respond to monitoring data. Indicator 1.1 – At least 40%, and maximum 60%, of participants in each Educational Clubs’ annual activity programme are women As a matter of fact, women were overwhelmingly overrepresented in both the trainings and the cultural programmes. In Armenia, for those areas where data on individual participants is available (accurate demographic data was not logged for the larger community events), monitoring shows that 84% of participants were women. In Azerbaijan, there was a similar picture, with 75% of female participants. Sandi Dzor Education Club worked very hard to involve men in the marketable skills trainings. The Club has identified several entry points for their involvement. There were many meetings with men organized in order to get familiar with their interests and needs. As a result of these efforts the Club identified two main fields of interest of men which were also demanded by the local market: (1) car repair service and (2) jewellery making. Teachers were identified and advertisements for the trainings were made through social and local media. During the process it turned out that men didn’t wanted to participate in classes. No explanation could be found why they weren’t interested. However, at the same time 40% of cultural/informational events participants were men.
Indicator 1.2 – Programming of Educational Clubs responds to needs of different age groups proportionally to their representation in the target communities In the case of Azerbaijan, the Coordination Team took a narrower approach to identify training needs. The Team members tried to meet especially those gaps in their communities that are left out by the government as a result of the community’s status as an IDP settlement which is not fully integrated into mainstream society. The first round of courses (English language) targeted school-leavers (age 16-18) who would need to improve in this area for their final exams. The second class about IT was organised for the staff (age 25-50) of the local school, which had specific needs due to the computerisation which was introduced in the school system. After the completion of these two rounds of training, the project had to be stopped and could not engage with other parts of the community.
The Club in Sandi Dzor had great success among youth (age 18-30) and young adults (age 31-50). The Coordination Team tried specific strategies to engage with elderly, who were very active in terms of suggesting ideas for the community but were not able to participate until something was specifically developed for them. Therefore, the Club implemented several initiatives dedicated to elderly people and engaged them in various activities.
Indicator 1.3 – By the end of the project, at least 60% of the population of the target communities are aware of the existence of the Educational Clubs and the activities that they conduct The small size and high attendance of cultural/educational events in Sandi Dzor shows that this indicator was over achieved. This is similar for the community of Kizil Kum. Moreover, it must be noted that besides the limited amount of time that was spent in the 4 surrounding villages, residents of these communities indicated that the Clubs caught the attention of the people living there.
R2 – Displaced community members build multiple skills and raise their knowledge of and contact with mainstream society through Educational Clubs’ programming Indicator 2.1 – By the end of the project, every need or interest that at least 20% community articulate a demand for is met either through educational courses or cultural/informational programmes In both countries the programming of the Educational Clubs was largely developed based on meetings and discussions between the Coordination Teams and the community. Topics for the meetings, public 2013.1 Page 10 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report lectures as well as for the trainings were initiated by the community members and further developed and supported by the Clubs.
Indicator 2.2 – By the end of the project, at least 75% of project beneficiaries consider skills and knowledge received as useful to improving their well-being At the end of all training courses feedback was collected from the participants. According to the evaluated data more than 60% of participants considered the new skills and knowledge as very useful and 30% found the skills useful to raise new employment opportunities and increase the family income. The trainings in Azerbaijan met the needs of the participants at the time that they took them. This was seen as particularly important for the school leavers who took the courses in English. The English, IT and social media classes were seen as important for the participants because they opened new doors for them.
Indicator 2.3 – At least four of the Educational Clubs’ cultural/ informational events are 30% attended by people from outside the target communities In addition to those events that were held on the territory of Sandi Dzor (in the physical space of the Club), eight other events were held in the city of Goris engaging 194 people. It is likely that these events in Goris were attended by a high number of people from outside of the Sandi Dzor settlement.
In the case of Azerbaijan events were held in partnership with surrounding areas, especially with neighbouring schools. It can be surmised that a lot of interaction between the ‘host’ community and IDPs happened during these events. In addition, there are concrete examples in both Armenia and Azerbaijan of professionals brought in for cultural and informational programmes who maintained contacts and opened doors for members of the target communities. In Azerbaijan, a university lecturer from Baku organised a university place for a young man from the Kizil Kum community after seeing his art at an event in the community. In Armenia, the expert teaching table setting design made a job offer to one of her students from the target communities. No indicators were ascribed to such examples, but these are important instances of more contact between displaced and host communities building networks that help improve their well-being.
R3 – Displaced community members learn from Clubs on the other side of the conflict and from other community activists in the South Caucasus how to meet needs and interest of conflict- affected groups. Indicator 3.1 – By the end of the project, each Club adopts at least two ideas from Clubs on the other side of the conflict Beside many barriers Educational Club members and Coordination Teams had the opportunity to get familiar with each others work during the regional meetings and workshops in Tbilisi. As a result, Clubs replicated most interesting events in their communities. For example, the forum theatre was initially organized by Sandi Dzor Club and Pirshagi Club replicated the idea and organized a forum theatre about relations between generations. At the same time, Pirshagi Club liked how the Sandi Dzor Club involved youth in their activities and replicated their approach. Furthermore, Pirshagi Club shared with Sandi Dzor Club their experience on how to conduct participatory learning assessments in the communities. This method was used later by Sandi Dzor Club in order to assess the situation in the four new surrounding communities. Another example of exchange learning was the event organized by both Clubs dedicated to the most significant changes in the lives of the refugees and IDP women.
Indicator 3.2 – By the end of the project, participants in Clubs’ activities demonstrate interest in meeting people from the other side of the conflict The increased number of participants in the regional meetings can be considered as a great success of the project. In Azerbaijan the project worked with survivors of the extremely violent incident in Hojali, meaning that these people were particularly traumatised and very sensitive about the engagement with Armenians. Numerous people participating in the regional meetings had family stories of loss and trauma. From the beginning it was clear that the attitudes of the project participants were very different. In the end the number of the regional meeting participants was raised up to 30. All
2013.1 Page 11 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report participants expressed their willingness to participate in this type of meetings and meet with people from the “other” side.
Indicator 3.3 – Participants in Clubs’ activities demonstrate progressively more willingness to travel across conflict lines, should opportunities arise Despite the fact that the project participants met each other several times during the regional meetings and had intensive communication in between, it is hard to say whether they are ready to travel across the conflict lines.
Activities Inception phase (A0.1) In February 2014 CARE conducted a meeting for the project partners in Tbilisi to develop the M&E plan for the project, to frame the baseline as well as to draft the communication and visibility plan. At the initial stage, the focus of the work was to bring the target activists into contact with local authorities and influential persons in their communities and to build a foundation for future cooperation. The project partners exchanged with the local authorities and informed them about the project activities in the target communities. In addition to that the partner in Azerbaijan submitted information letters to the relevant agencies of the central and regional authorities of the state and requested the permission to start working in the Ramana IDP community. It took more than two months to get the permission but all needed procedures were conducted.
Activities relating to Expected Result One: Locally based coordination Team of Educational Clubs have skills to engage communities, elicit needs and interests and design inclusive programs, monitor their implementation and respond to monitoring data
Background and introduction Activities under result one spread over the entire 22 months of the project and experienced an evolution as the project progressed. To a large extent this was a result of the partners’ overwhelming focus on the work in the communities and the fact that active women groups were established and capacitated under the previous project “Strengthening women’s capacity for peace building in the South Caucasus region” (short “1325 project”, funded by EC and implemented by CARE). The partners and Club members focused on building the skills requested by their community members.
Two from three Educational Clubs were set up. The Clubs were defined as a focal point in the community for people to receive skills and knowledge that may support them to find employment. The Clubs are on their way to become the centre of cultural activities that builds a sense of communal life and integrates isolated people in these communities.
Results of the activities A1.1 Purchase equipment to set up Educational Clubs Each of the Educational Club was equipped with necessary tools. The Educational Club in Sandi Dzor received a computer equipment set including a processor, monitor, mouse and printer. The Educational Club in Pirshagi received three computers with a printer and a scanner. Computer courses were conducted in the Clubs and there was a need of at least three computers to be able to organize proper training for 11 attendees.
A1.2 Information meeting and action research exercises in 4 surrounding communities of Sandi Dzor to identify the active women The information meeting and Participatory Learning Assessment were planned to be organized in the new IDP community of Ramana in Azerbaijan. Due to various obstacles highlighted above the project was amended and these actions were relocated to Armenia.
Information meetings On 11-12 of July 2015 members of the Goris Educational Club and the project partner conducted four information meetings in the new communities: Shinuhair (2,715 inhabitants), Karashen (576
2013.1 Page 12 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report inhabitants), Khot (890 inhabitants) and Hartashen (758 inhabitants). The meetings were attended by the local population (mostly men) and representatives of the local government and CBOs. In total more than 60 persons participated. During the meetings the participants were informed about the project, its objectives and future plans regarding the involvement of the communities in the project. Groups of active women were identified as a result of these meetings. There are 4-5 activists in each community.
Participatory Learning Assessment (PLA) During 8-9 of August 2015 a Participatory Learning Assessment was held in the 4 new communities. An action research was conducted by the group of active women residing in the above mentioned villages and by members of the Sandi Dzor Educational Club. In total 10 persons were involved. The study was led by two beneficiaries of CARE’s previous 1325 project funded by the EC. An assessment group was divided into two teams and each team conducted 2 focus group discussions in two villages. The total number of involved beneficiaries is around 50 persons. The main objective of the PLA was to learn directly from the local community using flexible methods adapted to the situation and to give the community leadership in the research. Questions for the assessment were developed in close consultation with the Educational Club, the local partner and CARE. Three main topics were covered: gender issues, the economic situation of the local population and communication with local government. 11 main questions (each of them had 5-6 sub-questions) were developed for the focus groups. The two groups developed research findings which were presented on 30th of November 2015 at the final project event in Armenia. The event was organized in Goris. Participants were approx. 40 project activists and beneficiaries from Sandi Dzor and the surrounding villages Khot, Artashen, Karashen and Shaynur as well as women activists from Sisian and Kornidzor (who are beneficiaries of the 1325 project). Participants recapped the project progress and planned further activities after the end of the project. The event was held in two sessions. In the first session the results of the action research conducted in 4 surrounding communities were presented. During the second session a 30-minute documentary film2 dedicated to the outcomes of the project and the achievements of its beneficiaries was broadcasted. An intensive discussion about further steps to ensure the sustainability of the action in the communities was held. As a result of the event, an informal network of the project beneficiaries was created.
A1.3 Ongoing accompaniment by project partners of design implementation and review of Educational Clubs’ activity plans The local project partner maintained regular contact with the Coordination Teams, travelled to the target areas to attend local events, assisted the Coordination Team in securing participation of key stakeholders and provided other forms of assistance as required according to the Clubs’ work plans. Strategic meetings of the project partners with Coordination Team members were held in Pirshagi and Goris on a monthly basis during the lifetime of the action. The following topics were discussed: establishment of principles for decision-making and for development of future activity plans and their implementation; preparation of informational/cultural events; preparation and implementation of action research; preparation and provision of basic trainings; selection and organization of business skills training etc. Despite the difficult environment in Azerbaijan, the local partner kept regular contact with the Educational Club Coordination Team in Pirshagi. The partner visited the target communities in order to keep contact with the project activists and local authorities in order not to lose the project impact and to keep the target community members aware about the regional work which is done all over the South Caucasus.
A1.4 Accompaniment and mentorship of Sandi Dzor Educational Club Coordination Team’s new members from the surrounding refugee communities to build capacity in organisational skills and community outreach As mentioned above, the community of Ramana was replaced by the four surrounding communities in Armenia. The Coordination Team of Sandi Dzor Educational Club took mentorship of these villages and conducted informational meetings with different stakeholders in the community. They identified
2 The film can be found (in Armenian) under: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdGPGZW7bus&feature=youtu.be 2013.1 Page 13 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report active women groups and supported their integration in the Club’s work. It was decided to organize for them basic trainings on community mobilization, team building, leadership, gender concepts, personal development and communication as well as voluntarism. Around 88 participants increased their knowledge on soft skills during the three training cycles organized by the project partner. 69 women and 19 men built their capacity to become active citizens. The Coordination Team of the Sandi Dzor Educational Club supported the new community members to participate in the preparation and implementation of the local events in Sandi Dzor in order to make them familiar with the management of such activities and to generate ideas for their own activities. Since August 2015 around 5 local events were conducted in the four surrounding villages in order to meet the interest and needs of the local target communities. In total, 194 inhabitants of these communities participated in these events, among them 60% women and 40% men.
A1.5 Compile the results of the monitoring and evaluation data gathered over the course of the project to seek to mobilise other resources from both the private and public sectors to support the Clubs’ activities in the future. All data from the Clubs about training participants and their capacities were entered into a database. The database was regularly updated and provides information about all organised events and trainings. Relevant information on beneficiaries of business skills trainings is kept in the Club in order to have easy access to the information whenever needed. During the last regional workshop in Tbilisi the two Coordination Teams developed together with the project partners the reports about the work of each Educational Club. This helps the communities to represent and promote the interest of their community towards their authorities and seek the support from different potential funders.
Activities relating to Expected Result Two: Displaced community members build multiple skills and raise their knowledge of and contact with mainstream society through Educational Clubs’ programming
Background and introduction Activities under result two comprised the core of the conducted work in the frame of the project – both in terms of the effort level, the budget needed and the priority from the perspective of the project partners. In addition to capacity building of community members, the Coordination Team was capacitated to positively influence the life of the target communities.
Modification in the implementation: Because of the limitation of the project activities in Azerbaijan it was decided to make changes and to relocate the whole business skills training component to Armenia.
Results of the activities A2.1 Organise and oversee educational courses that offer members of target communities marketable skills. A fixed number of people from each community was chosen to participate in these trainings to develop skills to improve their employment opportunities. They were identified based on surveys and outreach conducted by the Coordination Teams. Information about upcoming training opportunities was announced by distributing printed information brochures and through social media. Only two types of trainings were foreseen in the project, namely computer literacy and English courses. These trainings were conducted in both Clubs and in total 48 participants benefited from increased knowledge of English and IT. Among them were 36 women and 12 men from different age groups. The duration of the IT courses was two months with 18 sessions in Sandi Dzor Club and three months with three days per week in Pirshagi. The English language courses continued for four months in Sandi Dzor Educational Club and for three months in Pirshagi.
Sandi Dzor Educational Club organized 7 training cycles The Coordination Team started working on the identification of the most needed marketable skills in Goris to organize a third and fourth training cycle. The Club conducted a small assessment in order to 2013.1 Page 14 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report have a clear picture of the market demand and the participants’ needs. According to the findings the most popular and demanded jobs were jeweller and table designer. The Coordination Team started the preparation work for the table design course and a) looked for the teacher, b) negotiated the time, place and methodology, c) published the announcement and selected the participants. The training opportunity was announced by distributing printed information brochures and through social media. The Club received a large number of applications. The Coordination Team developed selection criteria and conducted interviews with identified candidates. The buffet design and catering service course was very popular and more than 40 women applied for participation. After consideration of the applications 30 beneficiaries were selected. They were divided in two groups and each of the team passed 6-8 training hours per week for two months.
Starting from the extension period of the project, the Armenian Educational Club started to prepare activities in 4 surrounding communities and conducted a small scale study on the available human resources and demanded professions in these villages. At the end of August 2015 all inception actions were completed and the beneficiaries were selected for the courses. According to the findings of the study the Club decided to organize the following business skills trainings: knitting, hairdressing and social media. The training cycles were planned to run in parallel.
- Two courses on social media were conducted: one for Sandi Dzor community and the second one for the communities in surrounding villages. In total 22 individuals completed the training, among them 13 women and 9 men between 18 and 30 years old. The duration of the course was 1,5 months for three days per week. - Two hairdressing courses were organized: one for Sandi Dzor community women and the second one for the new communities in the surroundings of Goris. In total 19 women from different age groups completed the training. The duration of the course was 2 months / three days per week for each group. - Two courses on knitting wool socks were provided for women from the villages Artashen and Shynuar. In total 24 women (31-50 years old) participated in the course for one month during three days per week.
A2.2 Organise and oversee a cultural/ informational programme (film screenings, lectures, discussions, etc) that brings in knowledge and expertise from surrounding locality with a view to establishing links with mainstream society. Cultural/informational events were organized according to the demand of the target community members. These events should help to improve the local integration of IDP and refugee communities in the host society and to meet the needs and interests of the project beneficiaries as well as to engage people from the surrounding areas in the Educational Clubs’ activities. All events were promoted in advance through local and social media as well as through NGO networks. Participants of the events were arriving even from the neighbouring city Sisian and other nearby villages.
Sandi Dzor Educational Club During the lifetime of the project 29 local cultural/informational events were organized by the Club in Sandi Dzor and four surrounding communities. Monthly based activities were implemented starting from the third month of the project. Additionally, the Club supported the organization of local events based on the community interest in newly united communities. In total 1,121 persons from target and nearby communities participated in local events.
Pirshagi Educational Club Club in Pirshagi organized 11 cultural/informational programmes during the 14 months of project implementation in Azerbaijan. 5 events were implemented in the beginning of the project and 6 events during the extension. In total 225 inhabitants of the Pirshagi community actively took part in the program.
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Activities relating to Expected Result Three: Displaced community members learn from Clubs on the other side of the conflict and from other community activists in the South Caucasus how to meet needs and interest of conflict-affected groups
Background and introduction The current political situation in Azerbaijan as well as arrests and persecutions of activists and human rights defenders raised our worries about the security of the project participants from Azerbaijan if joining the regional meeting in Tbilisi. Initially, it was planned to organize the first regional meeting in June 2014, the study tour in October 2014 and the second regional workshop in April 2015 before the end of the project but the timeframe was changed according to the project amendments.
Results of the activities A3.1 Hold two joint working group meetings/ study visits for Coordination Team members from both countries Workshop for Coordination Teams The first joint working group meeting was held for the Educational Clubs’ Coordinators in Tbilisi from 12 to 14 July 2014. Eight representatives from the partner organizations and from the two Educational Clubs of Sandi Dzor and Pirshagi participated. During the meeting, participants presented their experience, the work they have done so far and future plans. They conducted group work on action planning. Each Club approved their own plans and exchanged ideas about how to conduct best community outreach and cultural/information activities. Participants were updated about the requirements of the approved visibility and communication plan and discussed the Educational Clubs’ communication action plans. During the workshop, the participants developed methodological approaches and interventions how to determine community needs and interests with regard to marketable skills.
Study visit A study visit for the Educational Clubs members from Armenia and Azerbaijan was held from 22 to 24 July 2015 in Tbilisi, Georgia. In total 5 participants from each country (4 Club members and 1 partner) attended this visit. The goal of this event was to share the experience between the Clubs and the local civil society organizations based in Tbilisi and in the regions. The first day of the meeting was dedicated to the updates from the Clubs. Each of them presented their work which was done since the first regional workshop as well as their achievements and ideas for future actions in order to further support the local integration of conflict affected people. Club members from Pirshagi shared their experience about the Participatory Learning Assessment which they conducted in their community in 2011 within the frame of the 1325 project. Club members from Sandi Dzor used this tool in the surrounding villages of Goris in order to establish some basic facts about the people in the communities and the issues that they are dealing with. On the second day of the study tour the group visited the Women’s Association “Acting Together” which is one of the local IDP NGOs in Tskaltubo. The association was established within the frame of 1325 project funded by EC. The NGO is based in an IDP settlement and works on various issues such as the local integration of IDPs and cooperation with local authorities. The meeting was attended by women activists as well as representatives of the local government, government of Abkhazia in exile and regional office of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees of Georgia. During the meeting the participants discussed the partnership between governmental agencies and local civil society in order to address IDP issues and the commonality of the problems faced by conflict affected people in the South Caucasus. And on the last day of the study visit the Club members met with Julia Kharashvili, the chairperson of the IDP Women’s Association “Consent”. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange experience and knowledge. The discussion focused on different types of conflict-affected communities in the private sector, old and new IDP settlements, persons living close to conflict lines, organizational programs for IDPs, IDP women empowerment and local integration of IDPs. Afterwards, participants of the study tour visited the summer camp for IDP children organized by Consent.
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A3.2 Hold one joint workshop in Tbilisi for selected beneficiaries/ participants of the Clubs to share impressions and experiences of the Clubs’ activities and their impact on their community. Final workshop for project beneficiaries and Club members The final regional workshop was conducted in Tbilisi from 21 to 22 November 2015 and brought together Educational Clubs members and beneficiaries from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The main objective for the workshop was the inspiration and desire of rural conflict affected women to become strong actors of their lives. The purpose of the meeting was to summarise the work of the project, to highlight the impact on the target communities and to develop future plans for continuation of independent work in the Clubs. It was a two-day workshop with 20 participants (10 from each country). The agenda of the meeting was developed in a way that attendees were able to share updates and future plans of Clubs and to develop an overview on women empowerment and gender equality. On the first day the guest speaker Julia Kharashvili introduced the findings of the global study on the UNSC resolution 1325 and the workshop participants visited Gardabani IDP settlement where displaced people from 2008 war live. The purpose of the visit was to examine the environment where IDPs, Georgians and local Azeri and Armenian minorities are living and to capture important community issues. The visit was hosted by the active women group (IDPs and local Azeri women) involved in the community activities. Topics of discussion were how to get involved in the community actions, the vision for developing relations further with each other and with representatives of local authorities, and how to engage them in their activities. The second day was dedicated to the Clubs work and their future. Club members presented the work they have conducted since the last meeting in July 2015 and summarised the project impact for the entire communities. The workshop participants were divided in two groups. The main task for the participants was to identify the future options for scaling up the influence of the Clubs and to support employment opportunities for members of their target communities. Some of the participants were so inspired with the examples of other attendees and local activists that at the end of the workshop they decided to establish small active groups of women in their villages and promote activism and participation of women in community life. The following priorities for future work were identified: - establish partnerships with local authorities - support creation of employment opportunities - intensify collaboration with other organizations - provision of technical assistance to community members
A3.3 Share and translate programs and activity report from the work of the Clubs across the project areas During the project lifetime 40 activity reports and 6 activity plans were produced by both Educational Clubs. The first 23 reports and 3 plans were shared in the communities with a high level of visibility. Information on the project actions in other target areas were provided to the community members on both sides. The Educational Club in Azerbaijan continued disseminating information about the project until the circumstances became worse and people involved in peace-building projects and activities were persecuted by the authorities, the Club stopped distributing information from the Sandi Dzor Club in the community. They used the reports from Armenia in the Club for internal use only. As a result of the information sharing component we discovered that 6 similar events were conducted in both Clubs.
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2.3 Follow up and Sustainability The Club members received trainings and built their capacities. This creates a firm basis for their sustainability. They have developed a clear mission, a history of work on particular issues and a base of research materials that substantiates the community issues they are dealing with. Club members have raised their prominence considerably in their own communities. They have gained channels to receive more information and the skills to deliver this information to their constituencies. In many cases they also became active in the initiatives of others and in some cases they went for elected office positions.
The networking of the Clubs and the partner organisations significantly contributes to promote an enabling and inclusive environment. Working in a regional format is a considerable value-added element in civil society development. Moreover, it is indispensable for contributing to enabling conditions for the protracted conflicts of the region. Experience of common actions, a shared understanding of innovative approaches to research and advocacy are bolstering the sustainability of the relationship between the Clubs and project partners.
Educational Clubs members developed capacity and skills 1) to gather information relevant to their work and process it to address appropriately their target audiences; 2) to plan activities 6 months in advance; 3) to delegate responsibility and not to be dependent on one person; 4) to include members of their target areas in their planning through participatory planning practices and transparent reporting. In order to become much stronger and continue their actions Clubs should be proactive in their areas of work. For this purpose they already possess knowledge but are in need of further financial and technical support from strong organizations and the donor community.
A number of activities initiated by the Educational Clubs developed a level of sustainability that has long-term impact on their communities. For instance, the Sandi Dzor Educational Club in Armenia was able to gain significant local support for the cultural activities which they carried out: the initiative to establish a playground for children gained financial support from a local businessman; the idea to create community space in one of the villages was co-funded by the local authorities; the initiative to assist the Social House inhabitants with assets for winterisation has been supported by private sector representatives and community members as well as by the local administration of Goris city.
Another important component for the continuation and sustainability of the project impact is the creation of a meeting space for women. The existence of such common spaces to include people into community life and create an enabling environment for interaction with authorities is very significant. The creation of such spaces is of particular significance for women, whose space for socialising is often restricted to the domestic sphere.
Club members are going to continue to be active drivers of social change in their communities. However, they would need the support of larger organisations to extend their actions. Therefore, CARE and the project partner organisations have pledged to continue to find ways of integrating these Clubs into their other programming.
2.4 Mainstreaming cross-cutting issues The project strategy was to mainstream human rights, gender equality and good governance principles throughout the work. Gender equality was a key part of the intervention logic. The target population as well as activists were familiarized with gender equality principles. This served as basis for the development of specific strategies to approach gender equality in target communities.
Good governance became an important focus for the Clubs’work with local authorities as the closest point of contact for citizens to engage with governance structures. Strategies to cooperate with local authorities were a central part of the training delivered to Educational Club members.
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Human rights were a central topic in the four communities in the surrounding of Goris. A rights-based approach to activism was promoted. In particular, human rights and women’s rights were the focus of the trainings and informational/cultural events conducted in the target communities.
2.5 Monitoring, evaluation and feedback The activities of the Educational Clubs were monitored by the project partners, CARE and donor representatives. The project partners attended all events and actions conducted by the Clubs and were involved in the preparation and implementation of training cycles. The project coordinator from CARE regularly conducted monitoring missions once every three to four months. The donor conducted monitoring missions to each of the Educational Clubs. Pirshagi Club was visited by Louise Hjuler Mikkelsen (political adviser at the EU Delegation in Azerbaijan) in July 2014. The Sandi Dzor Club members hosted a visit in November 2014 of Louise Hjuler Mikkelsen and Tom Trier (at that time from the EU Delegation in Armenia). The project has a database which contains basic information about the activities carried out (events, trainings etc.) and about the participants in those activities, with demographic data and contact information. This information was used for basic activity-level monitoring. The database also included several impact-related data to trace how effectively topics were introduced in the project and how newly developed skills led to concrete actions. The database as a whole constitutes a pool of information on how actions were generated in the target communities and about their impact. Feedback and success stories of the project beneficiaries are also included in the database.
Under the present period, an independent consultant was recruited to carry out the final evaluation of the project. The full evaluation report is attached to this report.
2.6 Lessons learnt The project worked with grassroots women activists from conflict-affected communities on two sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This work focused on strengthening the skills and confidence of women to take part in community life, on bringing attention to the contributions they make as well as building an evidence base of the specific contributions that women make to planning and decision making and to support of economic development of the target communities. All this work was done through existing active women groups established by CARE and its partners within the frame of the 1325 project implemented a few years earlier. These groups and each individual whose capacity was built and strengthened during the previous project serve as a strong basement for the future investments in the peace-building process. Very successful were the regional meetings in Tbilisi where also Georgian participants and speakers were involved. By taking part in a regional meeting participants are not under pressure to deal with the most contentious issues. This opens up the space for people to interact more freely and discuss practical problems in their societies rather than the zero- sum perspectives that are common in mainstream conflict narratives. Such meetings also provide opportunities to satisfy their curiosity about neighbouring countries and regions.
2.7 List of all materials produced - The project partner in Azerbaijan printed information cards about the project. These cards were distributed among the community members in order to invite them for the project information meeting and to raise their awareness about the project (in Azerbaijani). - The project partner in Armenia printed a project banner for the final conference conducted by Sandi Dzor Educational Club in Goris (in Armenian). - A short TV spot was recorded about the project activities and broadcasted on the regional and local TV channels as well as during the final conference in Goris (in Armenian). - A TV program on civic activism was recorded and broadcasted on the local TV channel. This was coordinated by the Sandi Dzor Educational Club Team (in Russian).
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- The announcement about the start of the project activities and the call for interest in English language and IT courses was made on the local TV channel in Goris. This was coordinated by the Sandi Dzor Educational Club Team (in Armenian). - The findings of the Participatory Learning Assessment were recorded, shared and stored by the Sandi Dzor Educational Club (in Armenian).
2.8 Please list all contracts (works, supplies, services) above € 60 000 awarded for the implementation of the action since the last interim report if any or during the reporting period, giving for each contract the amount, the award procedure followed and the name of the contractor. Not applicable.
3 Beneficiaries/affiliated entities and other Cooperation 3.1 Relationship with project partners The Action took place in cooperation with two local organisations (one in Armenia and one in Azerbaijan) which remained engaged in all activities throughout the entire project, interacting regularly with the project team in the region.
CARE assesses very positively its relationship with the local partners who carried out the work in the field. Both organisations are for CARE potential cooperation partners for future initiatives. At the time of writing this report, CARE remains in contact with them and continues to discuss the implications of the lessons learned for future projects.
Armenia – Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly The partner in Armenia is the strongest in the project, with the clearest vision of what can be achieved by the project. Relations are very strong, with the partner seeking and offering advice on a regular basis. Since the start of the project, the partner has been invited to take part in other aspects of CARE’s work, including participation as a consultant for community mobilisation in other parts of Armenia. CARE and Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly have jointly submitted other proposals. Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly has become a strategic partner for CARE in the long-term.
Azerbaijan – Women’s Problems Research Union The Women’s Problems Research Union is a small organisation, with limited human resources, but has nevertheless assisted CARE in this project as well as in other initiatives in Azerbaijan. The work in the Confidence in Recovery project has been consistent, even though difficulties came up due to pressure from public officials because of the current political situation in Azerbaijan.
3.2 Continuation of partnership CARE plans to continue its cooperation with both partner organisations in the ongoing peace building programming as well as in new programs. The biggest doubts remain in Azerbaijan, where the working environment for NGOs is deteriorating. Under the current political circumstances regaining access might be difficult. However, CARE is determined to work in all countries of the South Caucasus and will remain engaged with organisations in Azerbaijan as long as this remains possible.
3.3 Relationship with State authorities
The relevant line ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan are familiar with the project, the key project activities and the project partners. - In Armenia, the project cooperated with the local administration of Goris town and was regularly in touch with the office of Syunik Marspet (Governor) regarding local employment opportunities for project beneficiaries. - In Azerbaijan, the project staff was regularly in touch with the central and local executive 2013.1 Page 20 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report
authorities of the target communities as well as with the Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan regarding the issues of the project registration and re-registration. The project partner worked closely with the State Committee of Women, Children and Family.
The representatives of the local authorities in Goris (Armenia) and executive authorities from Khodjaly (Azerbaijan) were involved in the planning and the implementation of the informational/cultural activities of the Clubs.
3.4 Relationship with any other organisations As described above, engaging the local government has been a key part of the action’s strategy. This proofed to be very successful in every location where local authorities have a remit. To varying degrees, the partner organisations tried to put their target groups in touch with other organisations or actors who are working in similar areas, thus engaging a wide range of actors (such as international and local NGOs in Azerbaijan und Armenia). The groups themselves have also succeeded in carrying out wide outreach in their communities.
3.5 Synergy with other actions Networking and exchange of learning were an intrinsic part of the project. Activities and outcomes regarding networking and experience sharing have been described in the section 2.2 Activities and results.
The action sought synergies with peace building organisations and projects working within the South Caucasus. The Women’s Problems Research Union took part in the roundtable dedicated to IDP issues in Baku on 30 April 2015. Furthermore, the project coordinator was in contact with “The European Partnership for the Peaceful Settlement of the Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh” which brings together International Alert, Conciliation Resources, Kvinna till Kvinna, LINKS and Crisis Management Initiative to positively impact the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process. Under this EU funded initiative the project coordinator took part in expert meeting “The role and perspectives of civil society in peace-building in the Nagorny Karabakh context - 20 years of the ceasefire agreement” to share information and develop perspectives.
The project partners have been very active in Armenia and Azerbaijan to create relations with various stakeholders. Furthermore, the local activists managed in some cases to develop links with other actions. Links have been most actively developed in Armenia, where the partner is actively looking to connect with the programs of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation (Eurasia Partnership trainers were engaged in the project in Armenia) and the Goris Gender Recourse Centre network.
3.6 Relation with previous EU Funding CARE got EU funding under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) in 2010 for the implementation of a 36 months project in the South Caucasus region called “Strengthening women’s capacity for peace building in the South Caucasus region” (1325 project). The project worked with different groups across the South Caucasus through local partners. The initiative built up the capacity of grassroots communities to be more active in public life, defend their rights and create opportunities for themselves to improve their lives. By working in multiple countries at the same time and by actively networking with various development stakeholders, many people participated in this initiative who had never been involved in peace building before.
Within the framework of this project CARE brought together ordinary people from each side of the conflict to enable the exchange of direct information about their experiences since the conflict, challenge stereotypes built up by years of isolation in a one-sided informational space, and establish closer personal relations. Preparing participants for such sensitive meetings is a particular strength of the Confidence in Recovery project partners (Women’s Problems Research Union and Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly) who have been working in such dialogue initiatives for many years. CARE’s work with activists in the South Caucasus has focused on increasing the potential of “communities of 2013.1 Page 21 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report practice” to establish new paths of building relations between people from divided societies. In building these relations CARE contributes to a longer-term objective of creating an environment in which peace initiatives can take root. The approach of the “communities of practice” also offers more immediate impact in the shorter term by allowing participants to learn from each others’ experiences and to improve their work practice.
The Confidence in Recovery project was developed as follow-up of the 1325 initiative. Some members of the Educational Clubs from both sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict participated in the 1325 project and gathered experience and knowledge about community mobilization, team building, peace-building initiatives, decision making and the Participatory Learning Assessment (PLA) method. Under the 1325 initiative a PLA was conducted in both Goris and Pirshagi. The Pirshagi Educational Club members used their knowledge to share it with new activists of the Sandi Dzor Club.
3.7 Coordination with the Contracting Authority Confidence in Recovery is a regional project and was managed by the EU Delegation of Georgia. The CARE project coordinator was in regular contact with Caroline Stampfer (EEAS-Tbilisi) in order to provide a project update and to coordinate all urgent issues which demanded special attention from the EU. The frequency of the meetings was increased when the situation in Azerbaijan changed. Caroline Stampfer was very supportive when it came to contractual issues, the project suspension in Azerbaijan and the no-cost project time extension. The project team is also grateful to the Delegation in Azerbaijan, especially Louise Hjuler Mikkelsen (at that time political adviser at EU Delegation in Azerbaijan), who worked very hard to make the project implementation in Azerbaijan possible and successful.
4 Visibility
The project adhered to the visibility standards set out by the European Union in its guidelines. The project partners and the Educational Club members were introduced to these standards by the project coordinator during the first meeting in Tbilisi (organized for project partners) and during the second meeting (organized for Club Coordination Teams). The EU was accredited as the project donor at all events with clearly marked logos. Furthermore, it was acknowledged as donor in all presentations to the public or press statements. All media items produced by the action carried the EU logo and acknowledged that its production was financed by the European Union.
The Educational Club in Sandi Dzor (Armenia) cooperated with the local media organization “Young Journalists Club – Sharavigh” and signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation to support the awareness about the impact of the project and to promote visibility of women’s activism and their contribution in community life. Therefore, most of the activities conducted by the Sandi Dzor Educational Club were published on the website of Sharavig and broadcasted by the national Erkirmedia channel, as well as by the regional channel.
Relevant links: http://www.sharavigh.com/2014/05/anglereni-usucum-paxstakanneri-hamar.html#.U7RXKGNVZBw http://www.sharavigh.com/2014/04/tsaratunk-Gorisum_25.html#.U7RYEmNVZBw http://www.sharavigh.com/2014/06/Hunisi-1-y-Gorisum.html http://www.sharavigh.com/2014/06/Kitari-ereko-Gorisum.html#.U7RZeGNVZBx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJWo2O91dks (a short video spot summarising activities conducted so far by the Goris Educational Club); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdGPGZW7bus&feature=youtu.be http://womennet.am/%C2%AB%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%B6- %D5%AA%D5%A1%D5%B4%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%AF- %D5%B9%D5%A7%D5%AB- 2013.1 Page 22 of 23 Confidence in Recovery_Final Narrative Report IFS-RRM/2013/332-010 Final Narrative Report
%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5%A1%D5%BF%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4-%D5%B8%D6%80- %D5%B4%D5%A5%D5%B6%D6%84-%D5%B4%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%AC/
http://womennet.am/%C2%AB%D5%B6%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%B6%D6%81- %D5%BE%D5%A1%D5%B2%D5%B8%D6%82%D6%81-%D5%B4%D5%A5%D5%B6%D6%84- %D5%B9%D5%A5%D5%B6%D6%84- %D5%BF%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%BB%D5%A1%D5%BF%D5%B8%D6%82 %D5%B4-%D5%AB/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnvTgCKFB2w
A discussion on civil initiatives in local development has been recorded and broadcasted on the regional TV channel Sosy. The Club members invited Khatuna Madurashvili from CARE as well as Natalya Martirosyan and Nune Dilayan from the project partner as civil society representatives. Participants discussed the role of civil initiatives and movements in the process of democratic developments in Georgia and Armenia, as well as challenges faced by the civil society nowadays, the importance of gender equality and economic empowerment of women with special focus on rural areas. The 20-minute TV program was recorded and screened on TV and in social media.
The European Commission may wish to publicise the results of Actions. Do you have any objection to this report being published on the EuropeAid website? If so, please state your objections here. Owing to political sensitivities and specific agreements made between the project partners concerning the dissemination of information about the project, materials from this report should not be published without prior consultation with the project team.
5 Location of records, accounting and supporting documents Please indicate in a table the location of records, accounting and supporting documents for each Beneficiary and affiliated entity entitled to incur costs.
Beneficiary Location of records, accounting and supporting documents CARE Tbilisi/Georgia, Vienna/Austria Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Yerevan and Goris, Armenia Women’s Problems Research Union Baku and Pirshagi, Azerbaijan
Name of the contact person for the Action: ……………………………………………
Signature: ………………………………Location: ……………………………………
Date report due: ……………………..…Date report sent: ………………………………
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