EU-funded project “Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative” is launching an informational campaign to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Georgia. It will be implemented with the help of the 10 regional hubs, partnering businesses, local government bodies, volunteer groups, and local and international civil society organizations.

Informing and updating the population during the pandemic is of critical importance for their readiness to respond appropriately, make well-considered decisions and take adequate measures to protect their health and safety. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical distancing and personal hygiene are the most important means to be applied by citizens to stop the further spread of the Coronavirus and to flatten the curve.

Despite the ongoing massive informational campaigns through traditional and social media, as well as social networks, crucial information is still not available to all parts of the population - especially some of the risk groups. This includes amongst others residents of cross-border regions and remote villages, IDPs living in compact settlements, the elderly and ethnic minorities. Hence, also the risk of quickly spreading misinformation within these groups is high and likely.

Therefore, the developed campaign aims to inform the population of 647 identified high-risk locations (cities, villages, regional centers and settlements) throughout all ten regions of Georgia. It covers detailed descriptions of the preventive measures against the spread of the virus as well as contact details of relevant institutions such as the Emergency Response Centre 112, the Public Safety Management Centre, the Ministry of Health, the National Centre for Disease Control and the government’s encompassing 1^st-level hotline.

To achieve, what media campaigns could not achieve yet, the above-described basic information was placed on products of daily consumption including bread. In cooperation with the local business partners ‘Elva’, LTD ‘Madliani 1’, LTD ‘Leko’, LTD ‘Vasadze Bread’, LTD ‘Khelvachauri Bread Products’, LTD ‘Nagdi Puri’ and LTD ‘Tsinba’ – highly trustable and socially responsible companies in Imereti, Adjara, Samegrelo and Guria – a total of 173.760 loaves of bread were equipped with special stickers and distributed within the target population. Additionally, 22.500 bags for grocery with printed information be delivered to grocery stores for free-of-charge usage in the villages. Such bags will also be provided to the local and central government agencies as they deliver products to vulnerable groups across all municipalities.

The project “Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative”, is implemented by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in cooperation with the Civil Society Institute (CSI), the Consultation and Training Center (CTC), the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) and the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC). The project is funded by the European Union (EU) and co-funded by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS).

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