Georgia's NGO Sector News #60 28.09.1998
Issued by Horizonti Foundation Information Program
Horizonti Foundation Information Program can provide contact
information on all of the following topics upon request
Contact Address:
Horizonti, The Foundation for the Third Sector
33 Gogebashvili, 380079, Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel/Fax: (995 32) 29 29 55
E-mail: presscenter@horizonti.org
Table of Content
NGO NEWS
* NGO Medapoli Cares for Children of Policemen
* NGO Georgian Studies Center Popularizes Georgian Culture and
Science
* NGO Swedish-Georgian Cultural Society Co-organizes a Swedish Art
Exhibition
* NGO Eco - XXI Century Organizes Seminars
* NGO Udabno Organizes an International Conference on Rock - Cut
Monuments
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM HORIZONTI FOUNDATION
* The Horizonti Foundation Presents its Video Center and Offers
Cooperation
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* Caucasus Women NGO Conference Takes Place in Tabakhmela
* Association for Family Planning Moves to New Office
* A New Discussion List is Available for Environmental NGOs
* Idealist Offers Listserves for NGOs
NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR NGOs
* International Seminar "Peace and Ecology in Caucasus from a Woman's
Perspective" Invites Participants to Tbilisi
* Grantmakers for Effective Organizations Organizes a Conference in
Monterey
***
NGO NEWS
*NGO Medapoli Cares for Children of Policemen*
NGO Medapoli was established in 1996 and aims to provide social
protection to families of deceased policemen and multichildren
families of policemen. The NGO helps to provide the families with
food, medicines and money, provides psychological services, organizes
vacations, offers at home services, and arranges regular meetings on
Mondays. The organization also runs a Sunday school for children of
policemen where they have an opportunity to learn foreign languages,
study human rights, and learn how to use computers. The NGO activities
target the population of the Gldani region of Tbilisi where such
services are not available.
Contact address of the organization is: 142 Tsereteli Ave, tel: 34 17
84, e-mail posedse@ip.osgt.ge, contact person Tamila Sabashvili.
*NGO Georgian Studies Center Popularizes Georgian Culture and Science*
Georgian Studies Center has existed since 1992 at Tbilisi State
University as an independent cultural and educational organization.
The Center aims to popularize Georgian science and culture abroad and
to establish Georgian Studies as a discipline of study. The center
works in the following directions: consults foreign students
interested in Georgian Studies, organizes summer schools for foreign
students in Georgian language and sciences related to Georgian
Studies, organizes international symposiums on Georgian Studies,
publishes symposium materials, publishes informational magazine on
Georgian Studies in English, prepares projects in different fields of
Georgian Studies with cooperation of foreign scientific centers, gives
awards to foreign scientists working in Georgian Studies.
This year, for the fourth time, the Center has organized the
International Summer School seminar. Usually the seminars are held in
July and August for five weeks. The course participants, foreign
graduate students and young scientists, take an intensive Georgian
language course, participate in lectures in different branches of
Georgian Studies, and are familiarized with the masterpieces of
Georgian art and culture, historical monuments, museums, exhibitions
etc.
The Center has implemented the International Summer School projects in
1996 and 1997 with financial support of Open Society - Georgia, and in
1998 with financial support from the Georgian Ministry of Finance.
Between 1994 and 1996, with the grant received from NATO Information
and Press Department, and with the leadership of Professor
Khintibidze and foreign scientists working in Georgian Studies, a
monograph "Study of Georgian Literature In Europe" compiling the works
of European Scientists in English, German , French and Italian
languages was compiled.
Contact address of the Center is: Center for Georgian Studies, 1 Ilia
Chavchavdaze Ave, 380028, Tbilisi, tel: (+99532) 29 08 33, fax:
(+99532) 25 25 01.
*NGO Swedish-Georgian Cultural Society Co-organizes a Swedish Art
Exhibition*
On September 21 in Tbilisi, within the framework of the art festival
"Gift," at the "Old Gallery," and exhibition and sale entitled "Art
from Sweden" was opened. The exhibition features the works of Swedish
artists: Roj Friberg (painter, graphic artist and scenography
designer), Ingvar Nilsfelt (graphic artist), and Roger Wolff (painter
and graphic artist). The exhibition was organized by the Cultural
Councilor of Swedish Embassy in Moscow, Johan Oberg, an artist from
Tbilisi, Gela Zautashvili and Georgian NGO "Swedish-Georgian Culture
Society." The event was sponsored by TS MUSIC from Sweden. The
exhibition will last until September 30.
*NGO Eco - XXI Organizes Seminars*
NGO Eco -XXI has existed since 1993 and cooperates with Georgian and
international governmental and non-governmental organizations. On
September 5, 1998, at the National Library of Georgia the NGO
InfoCenter Eco - XXI Century, in cooperation with the specialists from
the Technology, Science and Agriculture Specialists' Informational
Service Department of the National Library of Georgian Parliament,
and with the Cultural Flora Department of Institute of Botany,
organized a seminar "Millet Culture in Georgia."
InfoCenter Eco -XXI Century issued a bulletin in English on the
above-mentioned topic.
For more information contact Tariel Natsvlishvili at telephone:
(8832) 61 89 92, 92 11 61, fax: (8832) 95 80 16, 93 24 72, e-mail:
taro@eco.postnet.ge, web site: http://postnet-gw.sanet.ge, mailing
address: P.O.Box # 40, Tbilisi 380008, Georgia.
*NGO Udabno Organizes an International Conference on Rock -Cut
Monuments*
On September 14-20, 1998, in Tbilisi Fund Udabno organized an
international conference "Rock-cut Mountains of East and South
Europe." The East East Program of the Open Society - Georgia and Fund
Udabno jointly financed the event. Specialists from Georgia, Moldova,
Ukraine, Bulgaria and Serbia have participated in the conference. In
addition to the scientific sessions, round table discussions were held
in Tbilisi, Borjomi, Akhaltsike and Gori about the following issues:
"Ownership, Preservation, Study and Exhibition of Cultural Heritage,"
"Adaptation - the Way of Preserving Cultural and Historical
Monuments," "Study and Preservation of National Cultural Heritage by
Means of International Cooperation." Participants of the Conference
visited Georgian rock -cut monuments: Uplistsike, Vardzia, David
-Gareji, and met the local population.
The conference addressed the Georgian Parliament and the government to
convince the government to allocate money for reconstruction and
conservation of the David -Gareji Monastery Complex, a valuable
international cultural and historical site.
The conference also adopted two resolutions. The first resolution
underlined the great importance of maintaining a dialogue among
nations for the preservation of cultural heritage. The importance of
the problems discussed at the Tbilisi conference and earlier at
Kishiniov conference led to an idea to organize a final, summerizing
conference of a similar kind in Bulgaria. The second resolution
stressed the great significance and interest generated from the
reports presented at the conference and emphasized the need for
publication of the full collection of these reports in English so that
all the specialists in the world could have access to these materials.
Contact address of the organization is: 52 Rusataveli Street, tel: 99
88 23, fax: 99 88 23, e-mail: mze@didi.org.ge.
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM HORIZONTI FOUNDATION
*The Horizonti Foundation Presents its Video Center and Offers
Cooperation *
The Horizonti Foundation Video Center, Studio III, works in the
following directions: creates video archives depicting the history of
development of the third sector in Georgia, creates a video catalogue
and video library, cooperates with NGOs (consultations, joint films,
etc.), creates a network of correspondents with regional independent
TV and Radio companies in the regions targeted by the Horizonti
Foundation, and cooperates with the I and II Channels of Georgian
Television.
Studio III produces: feature films, educational and scientific films,
video collections, commercials, and social advertisements (public
service announcements).
Studio III is an open studio and cooperates with all professionals who
are concerned with the future of Georgian NGOs.
For more information about Studio III contact Lasha Kotrikadze, 33
Gogebashvili Street, Horizonti Foundation Office. Tel: (995 32) 29 29
55, fax: (995 32) 98 75 04, e-mail: presscenter@horizonti.org.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* Caucasus Women NGO Conference Takes Place in Tabakhmela*
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
through the Academy for Educational Development (AED) is sponsoring
the Caucasus Women NGO Conference from September 29 to October 4,
1998, sixty -one women NGO leaders from Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia will come to Tabakhmela, Georgia, to discuss problems that
women face in their countries. The goal of the conference is to
strengthen cooperation among women's NGOs community within the
Caucasus and improve their management skills. Topics to be covered
during the conference include: State Policy, External Environment and
the Role of Women; Women Leaders and their Activities in the Caucasus;
Gender -related Problems in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan; Women's
Rights and the role of women in the Electoral Process.
In 1997-98 three 4 week training programs were conducted in the USA
for Women NGO Leaders from the Caucasus Region. Azeri women
participated in the program in September 1997, Georgian Women - in
March 1998 and Armenian women participated in the similar program in
June 1998. The goal of these programs were to provide a theoretical
and practical basis for the development of leadership skills among
women acrtivists in the Caucasus Region's NGO community.
Training providers for this Conference are "Horizonti" from Georgia,
"Winrock" and " The League of Women Voters" from the United States.
*Association for Family Planning Moves to New Office*
Association for Family Planning has moved to a new office. The new
address of the organization is: 16 Vaza Pshavela Ave, 12 floor, rooms
5,7,8. Phone : 33 23 78.
*A New Discussion List Is Available for Environmental NGOs *
InfoCenter Eco-XXI Century maintains a discussion list for the
members of Caucasus Environmental NGO Network. By sending the
message to the following address cenn_discuss@postnet.com.ge all
subscribers will receive it. To remove yourself from the list send
mail to taro@eco.postnet.ge with the command "unsubscribe
cenn_discuss." If you have any questions or problems, please contact
Tariel Natsvlishvili < taro@eco.postnet.ge>.
*Idealist Offers Listserves to NGOs*
Idealist offers organizations to submit available nonprofit jobs or
internships to: http://www.idealist.org/lists.html. If your
organization would like to post a job or an internship that will reach
all those who subscribe to these lists, you can use Idealist to do
so. As always, all these listings are free. In addition to this list,
another one informs subscribers about conferences for Nonprofit
Professionals around the world. To find out about the upcoming
conferences in your area, or if you are organizing such a conference
and would like to list it, please go to http://www.idealist.org and
click on the Nonprofit Conferences link.
For additional information contact Ami Dar, Action Without Borders at
http://www.idealist.org.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR NGOs
*International Seminar "Peace and Ecology in Caucasus a Women's Point
of View" Invites Participants to Tbilisi *
From October 31 to November 1, 1998, NGO International Women Center of
Education and Information is conducting an international seminar on
"Peace and Ecology in Caucasus from a Woman's Point of View" in
Tbilisi. The seminar will cover the following topics: 1. Problem of
ecological purity of food; 2. Traditions of Caucasian nations in
utilization of natural resources in the light of environment
protection; 3. Healing resources of Caucasian region and their
utilization. 4. Influence of armed conflicts on the biosphere of
Caucasus (diseases and birth rate - analysis and prognosis). Those
interested in participating in the seminar should send their reports
on one of the above mentioned topics and their CVs to the address
given below before October 15, 1998. Please consider that
participants' list is limited. International Women Center of Education
and Information covers travel expenses up to $50, and provides food
and accommodation.
Contact address: 10 Baratashvili Street, apartment 33, Tbilisi 380005,
Georgia. tel: (98832) 999 253; 989 217, fax: (8832) 989 217; e-mail:
tamar@caucasus.net
*Grantmkers for Effective Organizations Organizes a Conference in
Monterey *
Grantmakers for effective Organizations (GEO) creates a forum for the
discussion of the issues related to grantmakers' involvement in
building effective management and governance in the non-profit sector.
GEO will hold its first Annual Conference in Monterey, CA on October
21-23. The Conference is being organized in conjunction with two
other groups: Communications Network and the Technology Affinity
Group. Registration and payments of the $325 conference fee will
automatically entitle the participant to attend activities of all 3
conferences at the Monterey Marriott.
Activities will include debate of Foundation Presidents, roundtable
discussions, and workshops on different strategies and resources to
support organizational effectiveness. The conference will also
familiarize program directors engaged in building organizational
effectiveness with their grantees with models of evaluation for
grantmaking interventions etc.
Find the latest information about the conference on the GEO website at
http://www.geofunders.org
********************************************************************
Editorial policy: The Horizonti Foundation both solicits and
accepts submissions for announcements to the NGO News Bulletin. All
such submissions must in one way or another be related to the
development of the NGO sector in Georgia. Although the Horizonti
Foundation retains the right to edit all materials both for content
and length, the information provided in the Bulletin do not
necessarily represent the opinion of the Horizonti Foundation or its
partners and funders.
____________________________________________________
Georgia's NGO Sector News # 60 (28.09.1998); Lia Chakhunashvili
(Editor), Maya Bitsadze, (Press Center Officer), special thanks to
Regine Spector (Horizonti Intern)