Shida Kartli

printemail

View map of programs in Shida Kartli

Democracy and Governance

Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training (ACETT)
Timeline: July 2010 – July 2013
ACETT improves the quality and scope of school-based civic education to influence positively the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of youth, empowering them to be active participants in building a democratic society. ACETT is implemented nationwide in Georgia. It enhances civic education materials and approaches, establishes accredited courses for civic teachers, introduces practical application of classroom lessons, provides small grants in support of applied learning, maintains an interactive website, and promotes social-networking for teachers and students. ACETT activities in Shida Kartli include civic education activities in schools in Khashuri, Kareli, Gori and Kaspi.

Good Governance in Georgia Project (G3)
Timeline: Feb 2011 – Mar 2014
G3 addresses the diverse challenges and shortcomings in governance at the national and local levels. The program improves transparency and institutional efficiency at all levels of government in providing better services to citizens, as well as improving communication channels between government institutions, stakeholders, civil society and citizens. At the national level, the program promotes improved public administration, advancing public sector reform in target institutions using human and institutional capacity development approaches. At the municipal level the program will promote more responsive, professional, and engaged local governance in Gori. In addition, a Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) in Gori will provide a public gathering space dedicated to civic discourse.

Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development in Georgia (G-PAC)
Timeline: Oct 2010 – Oct 2014
G-PAC helps institutionalize more balanced and effective public oversight of and engagement with the government by strengthening Georgia’s civil society sector. It does this by implementing two interlinked and mutually supportive objectives to accelerate the development of civic leaders and organizations that will: (a) become effective advocates for an empowered citizenry, and (b) provide viable policy options to government reflecting citizens’ needs. In Shida Kartli, G-PAC works to increase public education among the IDP youth and advocacy efforts to help them integrate into society, and to create barrier-free environment for disabled people in Gori, so that they can live and work independently. G-PAC also provides support to Gori Teaching Univeristy to improve educational programs.

Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project (JILEP)
Timeline: Oct 2010 – Oct 2014
JILEP supports and strengthens the judiciary as an independent yet equal branch of government, and improves Georgia’s commercial law system. Activities aim to improve the process by which judges are appointed, trained and disciplined to increase their independence and professionalism. The project also further strengthens the state free legal aid system and the legal NGO community, and increases public understanding of the role of the judiciary. It contributes to improvement of legal education both for legal students and for practicing attorneys in Georgia. Finally, the project streamlines procedures for handling commercial cases and enforcing commercial judgments. JILEP supports legal aid and court monitoring in Gori.

In addition to the projects above, national Democracy and Governance projects including Political Party Strengthening, Increased Trust in Electoral Processes, Advancing National Integration, and G-Media, serve the region.

Economic Growth

Agriculture Mechanization Project
Timeline: Sept 2009 – Mar 2012
This project is establishing institutions and systems for a private sector-driven, sustainable small holder approach to the provision of mechanized agricultural services that are supportive of increased agricultural sector productivity, competitiveness, and profitability. Grants and limited technical assistance are being provided to private sector organizations to procure tractors and related equipment and deliver market-based mechanized services to smallholder farmers. Farm services are made available to IDPs that received land from the Government of Georgia. In Shida Kartli, USAID supported centers in the Kareli District and Gori. The centers are expected to create a combined 26 new jobs and provide benefits to 1,800 farmers.

Sustainable Integration of the IDPs into the Value Creation Chains of the New Settlement Areas
Timeline: Sept 2009 – Nov 2012
The project provides technical assistance, training, and small grants for local micro-enterprises, including trade facilitation and market linkages with larger-scale firms and buyers, specifically focusing on IDP settlements in the Shida Kartli region, including Mtskheta, Gori and Kaspi districts (Tserovani, Tsilkani, Frezeti, Karaleti, Khurvaleti, Shavshvebi, Berbuki, Skra, Teliani, and Metekhi IDP settlements). In Shida Kartli, micro-enterprises include mushroom cultivation, bee-keeping, a small grocery store, poultry, livestock (cows, pigs, rabbits), greenhouse, and shoe repair.

Women's Economic Independence in the Post-Conflict Zone and Remote Regions of Georgia
Timeline: Sept. 2009 – Nov. 2012
The project aims to stimulate women entrepreneurs in Georgia by helping rural women develop business skills and start their own businesses. Innovative training courses and small grants are provided for women IDPs in the Shida Kartli region (Megvrekisi, Pkhvenisi, Nikozi, Tirdznisi, Brotsleti, Kvemo Khviti, Ergneti, Mereti, Verkhvebi, Sakhasheti, Kitsnisi, Shertuli, Arbo, Dvani, Ruisi, Gogeti, Plevi, Akhalsopeli, and Mokhisi) as well as for women residing in the remote regions of Georgia, including northern Kakheti and mountainous Imereti and Racha. In Shida Kartli, trainings were conducted in 2010 and will continue in 2011. Small grants have resulted in sustainable microenterprises including cheese and poultry processing, beekeeping, flower cultivation, dry goods grocery, guesthouse operations, and beauty salon businesses.

Municipal and Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project
Timeline: Feb 2011 – Feb 2014
This project aims to: 1) develop and rehabilitate municipal infrastructure in certain municipalities affected by the 2008 conflict, including significant irrigation infrastructure; 2) upgrade the homes constructed by the Government of Georgia for persons displaced during the August 2008 conflict and redevelop buildings for use as durable housing for IDPs from previous conflicts; and 3) help ensure overall sustainability of interventions. In Shida Kartli, the project will rehabilitate buildings expected to house approximately 144 IDP families. It will also rehabilitate a portion of a road and irrigation systems necessary to sustain agriculture livelihoods.

New Economic Opportunities (NEO)
Timeline: Apr 2011 – Apr 2015
The NEO project is designed to improve rural incomes; reduce poverty levels; improve food security; address critical, small-scale infrastructure priorities in targeted communities; enable targeted IDP communities (old and new) to sustainably maintain their households; and assist communities distressed by natural or other disasters. The project will target 10 municipalities and will benefit at least 70,000 households that are considered vulnerable. The project is expected to work in total of 35 communities, with an anticipated 30,000 beneficiaries in Shida Kartli.

Economic Prosperity Initiative (EPI)
Timeline: Sept 2010 – Sept 2014
This program will improve Georgia’s overall economic competitiveness through assistance designed to: 1) expand and deepen the country’s economic governance capacity; 2) improve agriculture sector productivity; and 3) strengthen targeted non-agricultural value chains that have the highest growth potential. EPI supports greenhouse training for farmers and agriculture activities in Gori, Kareli and Kaspi. The project also hosted an agriculture roundtable in Gori and supports fruit and vegetable agriculture trainings for farmers throughout the region. Other project activities focus on the packaging industry. EPI’s assistance in this sector has contributed to an increase of sales by more than GEL 425,000. EPI is also introducing corrugated packaging into the agriculture sector in this region, thereby reducing spoilage from between 40% and 70% to 15%.

In addition to the projects above, national Economic Growth projects, including loan guarantees through the Development Credit Authority, serve the region.

Energy and Environment

Power and Gas Infrastructure Project
Timeline: May 2010 – Nov 2013
PGI will assist the Government of Georgia in undertaking strategic interventions in gas and power infrastructure aimed at enhancing the energy security of the country. It will support the ongoing efforts of Georgia’s power transmission company and Georgia’s gas transit operator to construct and build necessary power and gas transmission infrastructure. The five project components aim to improve power and gas infrastructure and capacity building, construct portions of the Senaki-Poti pipeline, replace and rehabilitate segments of the Saguramo-Khashuri pipeline, upgrade electricity transmission, and facilitate data collection and energy sector modeling. The main part of the section to be rehabilitated is located in the Shida Kartli region. Once rehabilitated, the pipeline will ensure reliable and uninterruptable natural gas supply to population of Shida Kartli.

In addition to the project above, national Energy and Environment projects, including New Applied Technology Efficiency and Lighting Initiative, GNEWRC Partnership Program, and Black Sea Regional Transmission Planning Project serve the region.

Health and Social Development

Tuberculosis Prevention Project
Timeline: Sept 2011 – Sept 2015
The goal of the project is to reduce the number of all cases of TB in Georgia. The project strategy is to strengthen national TB response by addressing weaknesses in specialized and general health services. In support of this strategy, the project is focusing on three major objectives: 1) improving early detection of suspected TB cases in general (non-TB specialized) health facilities; 2) improving quality and supporting nationwide full implementation of the Directly Observed Therapy Strategy (DOTS) and DOTS Plus for the drug sensitive and drug resistant forms of TB; and 3) supporting physical infrastructure of facilities that provide TB outpatient treatment in order to improve infectious control and treatment adherence. The project is aimed to work nationwide. The TB prevention project has supported clinics in Gori, Khashuri, Kaspi, and Kareli.

Social Infrastructure Project
Timeline: July 2010 – Mar 2012
The Social Infrastructure Program provided enhanced learning and living conditions for orphans and vulnerable children. The project also improved the short-term economic status of ethnic minorities, IDPs, and graduates of the Vocational Education Programs by employing them in the rehabilitation of schools in Khashuri and Metekhi. It also renovated small group homes in Khashuri, Khtsisi, Metekhi, and Gori.

Georgia Sustaining Family Planning and Maternal and Child Health Services Project (Sustain)
Timeline: Oct 2009 – Oct 2014
Sustain meets critical maternal and child health and family planning needs while laying the foundation for long-term, sustainable family planning and maternal and neonatal health programs in the private sector. Through private insurance industry plans, existing health clinics and planned health training units, it also promotes a broader range of contraceptives available in pharmacies throughout Georgia. In Shida Kartli, the activity supports maternal and child health services in Gori, and contraceptive education and distribution throughout the region.

Strengthening Childcare Services and Systems
Timeline: Aug 2010 – Aug 2013
This activity focuses on the following areas: improving access to social benefits for vulnerable groups; improving alternative care and expansion of family support services; strengthening policy, oversight and accountability in the childcare system; and addressing the issue of domestic violence. The activity supports small group homes in many areas of Shida Kartli, including Khashuri, Khtsisi, Metekhi, Tsilkani, and Gori.

Job Counseling and Referral Center
Timeline: Mar 2010 - May 2012
This activity provided job counseling, referral, and placement of the unemployed in Georgia, with particular outreach to internally displaced persons (IDPs). The activity created job counseling and referral centers, facilitated outreach to employers, and placed beneficiaries in vocational education programs. This project supports a job counseling and referral center located in Gori that provides training in job search and interview skills. Since 2010, the center in Gori has provided job counseling to more than 1917 individuals and market-oriented vocational education to more than 303. The center has helped more than 819 beneficiaries gain employment.

In addition to the activities listed above, national Health and Social Development programs, including the Health System Strengthening Project, Tuberculosis Prevention Project, and Hepatitis B Catch-up Vaccination project, serve the region.