2003 Embassy Events
August 2, USG -FUNDED CLUB OF YOUNG SCIENTISTS TRANSFERS KNOW HOW ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO 28 VILLAGES IN WESTERN GEORGIA
On August 2, Acting Public Affairs Officer Burke O'Connor and Cultural Assistants Dali Homeriki and Nino Gagua visited a former Democracy Commission Grantee, the Club of Young Scientists of Ozurgeti, in western Georgia's mountainous province of Guria. The Club, chaired by Gocha Shanidze, organized a presentation of the implemented "Community and Civil Society Projects." The Embassy's delegation was pleased to listen to numerous local Community Based Organizations (CBO) and get positive feedback regarding the impact the project has had on communities to address and solve problems independently. During the year, the Grantee, a genuine leader of the NGO sector in the region, worked closely with community groups in 28 villages of Guria and established an NGO/CBO Development Center, which provided free internet access and conducted professional trainings and consultations to newly created organizations and initiative groups in the villages. Prior to the presentation, the Embassy delegation had an opportunity to make on-site visits to two of the villages, Natanebi and Tkhinvali, to get first hand information from the Chairmen of the Village Councils and members of the community. With the Grantee's support, the CBO in Natanebi created a data base for the local government to improve transparency of operations and accountability for tax collection.
