Youth Volunteers Help Spread News on Women’s Issues
Marina Modebadze, Chair of the Society of Women Democrats and 2006 Community Connections alumnae, has long been concerned about the lack of women’s involvement in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region’s politics and society. She felt that women in this region of Georgia were often not aware of their civil rights and civic responsibilities. As a result of her involvement in USAID’s Community Connections NGO Development program, Modebadze is now at the forefront of providing women with information about their role in society.
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| Editorial board and volunteers for the newspaper Meskheti Express |
During her three-week professional program in West Virginia, Modebadze saw young students on the streets wearing t-shirts bearing the name of an American NGO working on civil society related issues. This observation inspired Modebadze to include youth from her local Women’s Hope Organization in her next project. In October 2007, Women’s Hope launched a new political newspaper entitled Meskheti Express. The eight-page newspaper, which is published bi-weekly, features two pages exclusively dedicated to local women’s issues. There are interviews with women leaders, articles about trafficking and domestic violence, and information about equality issues. The publication also serves as a watchdog for local government and prints information about government expenditures and monitors government activities.
Youth volunteers from Women’s Hope go out in groups to distribute the newspaper. The volunteers, wearing t-shirts with the organization’s logo, talk with people about the organization and its goals. The first run of the paper was a success: all 400 copies printed for sale were sold within a few days. The newspaper and its distribution scheme provide young women opportunities to get involved in civil society and information to local citizens about women’s issues and government activities.
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