Local women entrepreneurs in the central Georgian city of Gori will exhibit their handmade crafts and other products for sale on International Women’s Day, in an effort to support Ukrainian citizens amid Russia’s ongoing assault on the country.
The sale of crafts items will bring together products by 15 women to a marketplace on Merab Kostava Street on March 8, with the initiative supported by the European Union and the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN).
Along with expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people – CENN has announced a part of the funds raised through the sale would be sent to the Ukrainian Support Fund – the event also aims to support local women entrepreneurs in Gori by promoting their work.
The initiative comes within the EU-funded regional project EU4Youth: Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (SEED) for Green Growth, implemented by CENN in partnership with Kakheti Regional Development Foundation (KRDF) in Georgia and Green Lane NGO in Armenia.
Both organizations and individuals from Georgia have been contributing to assistance to Ukraine since the start of the war in the country. Georgian citizens and businesses have been offering free overnight accommodation and other types of assistance to Ukrainians in the country through social media groups.
The government has also provided aid worth 1 million GEL ($315,000 or EUR 279,000) to Ukraine, with the Georgian Post also announcing it would deliver humanitarian parcels to Ukrainian citizens free of charge, additionally, with the state program Produce in Georgia campaign delivering products of high necessity from various companies to Ukrainian citizens in Georgia.
Russia began its military assault on Ukraine on February 24, after Russian president Vladimir Pootin’s announcement of the recognition of the independence of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on February 21. (Agenda/Business World Magazine)
