“This world is ours, we are the state too and we have to change the environment for the better!” - says Maria, who has initiated changes in the village of Buknari in Kobuleti.  More (GEO)

A true professional, in any case, is irreplaceable. Listen to Andro Dgebuadze's advice on what to focus on when choosing a profession. More (GEO)

The inclusion of local self-government into the state grant system is one of the issues that the “Concept of State Grant Funding Reform of Civil Society Organizations” considers among necessary changes. Levan Paniashvili, a member of the Concept working group and Chief Lawyer of the Civil Society Institute, will tell us why this is important for the development of civil society. By Maka Jaiani More (GEO)

You probably remember us retelling you about the Kvemo Machkhani Theater – the one that the village was built for 9 years about 150 years ago. Sandro Akhmeteli staged the first performances there, the theater had also a moving platform, and even a lot of interesting lectures were delivered on agriculture, literature, there were held meetings of the society for dissemination of literacy as well... But now, the theater is left without function and, along with many other problems, suffers also from rainwater coming through the ceiling and damaging it.  Young people of Machkhaani decided to take care of inheritance left by their ancestors. With the help of the “Knowledge Café”, they formed an initiative group and started working to give a second life to the theater. Second Life - this is the name of the campaign that local activists launched to solve the main problem faced by the theater.  They wrote a letter requesting to repair the roof of the theater, introduced it to almost all villagers, and submitted its signed copy to the local municipality. Soon, not only they received confirmation, but also repair works of the roof started…  While restoring the function, they appealed to theatrical troupes calling them to support in reviving the stage of the distinguished theater with their performances. Six theaters have already expressed their willingness to do so, which is yet impossible to implement due to the pandemic, however, both young people and residents of Machkhaani are ready to meet as well as are eagerly awaiting the restoration of ancestral traditions.  #ShareTheResponsibility because #ThisCountryIsYour 

Before giving up the vaccine, think about what information you have. Do not trust inaccurate and misleading information, learn more about vaccines. More (GEO)

The main problem for people with disabilities remains a non-adapted environment. Their employment rate deteriorates in accordance with the severity of the status. For each person, the obstacle mostly starts from the door of their own house and it seems as if they are doomed to house arrest because it is practically impossible for them to move independently. People go unnoticed and often get discriminated by society or the state.  More (GEO)

Myths about Russian-Georgian friendship are passed from generation to generation.  Do not trust unverified information, learn history.  1801 Annexation.  1804 Suppression of the Mtiuleti uprising.  1811  Abolition of Autocephaly of the Georgian Church.  1812,19,41,56 Suppression of uprisings in different parts of Georgia.  1921  Annexation of the Independent Republic of Georgia.  1924 Suppression of the uprising.  1937–38  Repressions. 1956 Tragedy of March 9.  1978  Attempt to abolish the Georgian language as a state language.  1989 Tragedy of April 9.  1989 Military operations in Samachablo.  1992–1993  War in Abkhazeti.  2008  Russian Georgian war.  From 2008 to present Creeping occupation, kidnapping people!!! 20% of the territories of Georgia are occupied by Russia!!!

Tired of numerous attempts to return to their own families, children who were separated from their parents by the court due to poverty appealed to the NGO Partnership for Human Rights (PHR) for help. The selfless attempt to return the children to their own families ended in their favor. More (GEO)

The main problem that civil society organizations observe in terms of awarding state grants is the lack of respective uniform, even minimal, standards, and a low degree of transparency as well as accountability. Public institutions have had the right to issue state grants since 2010, while they release grants to civil society organizations since 2012, however, during this time there have been developed no uniform standards that would create a common framework for issuing this type of grant. By Maka Jaiani More (GEO)

As Wikipedia can also say, “budget” is such an old word that it appears even in Latin and, like in both French and English, means a leather pouch, wallet, or bag. In the modern understanding, budget is a system of revenue distribution and exists all over, where the need for financial management occurs. Budget can be made for a person, a family, a company, an organization, and, of course, the state. It is the latter in particular that represents the subject of our interest.  By Maka Jaiani More (GEO)

A unique example of 150 years old community work and the self-organization of the population of the Kvemo Machkhaani village is a theater, for construction of which each resident of the village had been collecting money for 9 years. They managed to do it and on July 25, 1899, the Theater of Kvemo Machkhaani was opened with the play “Khanuma”. The architect of the building is unknown. The 2-story brick construction merges well with the urban environment of the village and, at the same time, its interior architectural concept is similar to contemporary European theaters - the building provides space for reading and the opportunity to hold various discussions or educational events. Each resident of Kvemo Machkhaani was involved in the implementation of various initiatives important for the village – they were setting priorities of the village in economic, cultural-educational or other areas and then raising funds in different ways. Results of their self-organization and initiatives are as follows: school, reading room, theater, public workshop depot-bank, pharmacy and etc. Community Development Center (CDC) and Center of Contemporary Art - Tbilisi (CCA), with the support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation, searched for a lot of interesting stories of community self-organization before the occupation of Georgia, similar to that of Kvemo Machkhaani, and published a book containing them. The occupation of 1921 discouraged all kinds of motivation and initiative as in Machkhaani, as well as in other villages or regions of Georgia. Since then, initiatives were rarely heard in the village. While today, there have appeared young people thirsting for novelty and culture. One of the examples of this is the campaign, which is a chance for the second life of the Kvemo Machkhaani Theater. They invite theaters from different cities to perform in Kvemo Machkhaani. #ShareTheResponsibility because #ThisCountryIsYours

Save the Children, an international non-governmental organization founded in 1919 and implementing programs in 120 countries around the world, started its activities in Georgia since 1993. During these 28 years, the organization has been actively working on issues related to child protection, education, family and community empowerment, inclusive education, early childhood development, disaster risk reduction, youth skills development, child participation, IDP assistance, and empowerment of girls and women. With the help of Save the Children, there have been developed and introduced approaches, services, assessment tools, guidance documents and legislative changes, which serve as the basis for child wellbeing in many ways today. However, child protection in Georgia still faces a number of challenges in terms of a lot of aspect See more (geo)…