A Regional Civil Society Forum was held in
Akhaltsikhe, at Samtskhe-Javakheti State University, to present the activities
of local CSOs and to promote volunteerism.

Lika Kiladze, Chairperson of the Education
Development and Employment Center (EDEC), Temur Jaliashvili, representative of
the project ”Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative,” and Maka
Beridze, Rector of Samtskhe-Javakheti State University, gave speeches throughout
the event. Later on, Lado Apkhazava, the winner of the National Teacher’s Award,
and writer Tatuli Gvinianidze, both also speakers at the forum, discussed the
importance of volunteerism.

Furthermore, participants had the
opportunity to learn more about the bilateral volunteerism platform TimeBank as
well as up to twenty local CSOs; their focuses range from ethnic minorities,
supporting formal and informal education, empowerment of persons with special
needs, gender-related issues to the support of small businesses.

The forum was organized in the frame of the
project ”Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative”. It was developed
and is implemented by a consortium led by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in
cooperation with four Georgian Civil Society Organizations: the Civil Society
Institute (CSI), the Center for Training and Consultancy (CTC), the Center for
Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) and the Education
Development and Employment Center (EDEC). The initiative is funded by the European
Union and co-funded by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.