Gender Equality and Representation Across Borders

ABOUT THE PROJECT ‍

Projects “Gender Equality and Representation Across Borders” started implementation from 21 October 2014 to 31 November 2016, with the overall aim of establishing a cross-border network of women's organisations that are active in gender representation at the local and regional level by empowering local NGOs to advance the gender representation agenda, building the organizational capacities of local women's organizations in the areas covered by the project, technical assistance for the exercise of supporting functions. Improve local and national media coverage related to topics related to women.

Lead Partner: Kosovar Centre for Gender Studies (KCSGJ)

Project Partner: Association for the Advancement of Gender Equality Akcija Zdruzenska-Skopje

Co-partner 1: Center for Counseling and Support for Woman-Dora Dra Ra

Co-partner 2: Institute for Community Development-

The project aims to provide solutions to several key challenges of gender equality representation in every area of life that goes beyond borders and to establish a cross-border network of women's organizations that are active in representing gender issues at the local and regional level. The action of the project brought a measurable impact on both sides of the border as well as the establishment and establishment of a network of women's NGOs, which, despite their geographical proximity, have rarely cooperated with each other. Moreover, the project activity is within the encouraged methodological approaches because it tries to promote Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities, equal participation of marginalized groups and supports links between organizations with same/similar goals and missions.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

General Purpose of activities is to establish a cross-border network of women's organizations that are active in gender representation at the local and regional level.Specific Targets which the project will strive to meet during the efforts to advance the overall objective include:

• Empowering local NGOs to advance the gender representation agenda;
• Enhancing the organizational capacity of local women's organizations in the areas covered by the project;
• Technical assistance in the exercise of conservation functions;
• Improving local and national media coverage of women's issues.

Target groups and final beneficiaries

Women's Local NGOs in the areas of project implementation (border areas between the two countries).This target group also represents the main beneficiaries of the project. With significant resources, lack of experience, and facing much greater social pressures than their counterparts from their respective capitals, local women's NGOs in the areas covered by the project, despite their selfless activism, have failed to achieve the desired results. Organizations in the municipalities of Prizren, Suhareka, Malisheva, Dragash, Rahovec and Mamusha in Kosovo as well as in the municipalities of Gostivar, Vrapcista, Mavrovo and Rostusa, Tetovo, Bogovinje, Brvenica, Zelina, Jegunovc and Tearca in Macedonia have welcomed the support much needed in some of the main concerns identified in these municipalities, such as: domestic violence, school dropout, inheritance and economic empowerment, reproductive health, discrimination and lack of gender equality policies at the local level.

Results of the project:

• Initial activities
• Project presentation event
• Development of the portal for women and gender issues in Albanian and Macedonian
• Research on women's rights and gender equality in both countries
• Development of the Gender Policy Handbook at EU level
• Development and delivery of five training modules from project areas to a selected audience of women's NGOs
• Enhancing the skills of at least 100 NGO women's representatives on both sides of the border (20 for training);
• Capacity building through ongoing training and mentoring (technical assistance) for women's local NGOs in the project areas
• Competitive grant for cross-border mini-projects
• Organization of two regional conferences
• Conception and organization of four thematic round tables.
• Local Women's NGOs develop the functionalization of volunteer activist networks.