Action for Girls’ Rights to Equality, Peace and Security

Implementing organizations: 

• Pomoć deci – Children and Youth Support Organization, Lead applicant, Serbia
• Volunteers Centre Skopje, Partner, North Macedonia
• Partnere per Femijet, Partner, Albania
• Institute for Development of Civil Society-Innovate, Partner, Kosovo*

Summary of the project

The project aims to support and encourage civil society participation and influence on the respect of the rights of young people, especially women and girls, on peace building reconciliation and security through capacity building, networking and advocacy for gender antidiscrimination, equality and empowerment of girls in the project countries in creating peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development in WB.

Therefore, implementing organizations will develop a Sub-Regional Network of NGOs that include Serbia (SRB), North Macedonia (NM), Kosovo (KOS) and Albania (ALB) and will initiate and empower national networks in 4 WB countries (SRB, NM, ALB, KOS*) to:  a) engage in evidence – based advocacy and lobbying; b) partner, cooperate and network with other networks/consortia nationally, regionally, at EU and global levels; and  c) assist local and grassroots NGOs to develop, test and promote local initiatives, improve their quality and accountability in order to increase their impact and outreach in promotion of peace, security gender equality and women participation among young people.

Project goals

Overall goal: To contribute to the strengthening of the civil society influence over human, women’s and girls’ equality and participation in peace building and social cohesion through education, networking and advocacy for gender equality and empowerment of girls in 4 countries in Western Balkans (WB).

Specific objective 1: To develop a Sub-Regional Network of civil society organizations working on peace building and security through promotion of gender equality and active women’s participation, peer education and youth empowerment (especially girls);

Specific objective 2: To develop 4 country level networks of CSOs promoting empowerment of youth, especially girls, and respect for diversity and gender equality for long-lasting peace and stability through peer education, advocacy, networking in the WB and partnerships with EU organizations and networks.

Beneficiaries

• National and Regional formal and informal NGO networks working on youth participation, gender equality and peace and reconciliation
• Local and national NGOs working on gender equality, youth participation and peace and reconciliation
• Formal and informal grassroots CSOs working with young people, especially girls and young women
• National ministries and institutions, local administrations, universities, research institutes
• Young people

Final direct beneficiaries will be at least: 2000 teenage children and young people (13-29 years of age), 20 local NGOs and 4 national NGO networks.

Main activities

Development of tools and Regional capacity building

• Update of the Needs assessment of the specific needs of each target group in each partner country in the fields of advocacy for promoting human rights, anti-discrimination peace-building, girls’ and women equality and empowerment, youth participation and prevention of peer GBV.
• Developing Training material for: a) gender equality and anti-discrimination including prevention of peer GBV and culture of peace; b) peer education;
• Delivering Regional training covering each of the topics in the training material

Capacity building at national and local levels

• Delivering National and Local Trainings in each of the partner countries covering each of the topics in the training material in order to bring all partners to the knowledge and skills level in all topics
• Local (on-field) workshops- Upon completion of the local trainings, the local trainers in pairs (gender balanced) will organize local workshops in at least 3 municipalities per country

Networks’ building

• Development of Sub-regional network of organisations and four national networks of organisations working on anti-discrimination, peace building and reconciliation, gender equality, peer GBV prevention and youth empowerment (especially girls);

Advocacy and Outreach

• Results promotion
• Development of local, national and regional Media messages
• Final Conference