Project Title: Communities for Democratic Changes

Donor: NDI

Budget: 9 662 $

Implementation period:s 01.07.2015 -  30.12.2015

Target audience: The population of Khelvachauri and Kobuleti municipalities.

The goal of the project:

The project aims at raising the level of citizens' involvement in the government processes in Kobuleti and Khelvachauri municipalities’ communities of Ajara region; to support and develop forms of cooperation between local authorities and the population, enhance the orientation of the municipal budget on the real needs and requirements of the communities' population through lobbying the budgetary programs to the Assembly.

Project Objectives:

• Support increasing the orientation of the municipal budgets on the needs and requirements of the population;
• Activate population of 6 pilot communities of Kobuleti and Khelvachauri municipalities and rise the level of their involvement in the self-governance processes;
• Support and develop forms of communication and practical cooperation between local self-government bodies and the residents of target communities;
• Raise the level of accountability of local self-government bodies;
• Support initiated issues from below upwards and promote establishment of lobbying practices of those issues.

The project activities:

• Conducting the informational meetings in the communities;
• Conducting the educational meetings in the communities;
• Forming the initiative groups from the active part of the community population;
• Researching the existing problems in the communities and their rankings;
• Conducting the trainings;
• Developing budgetary programs.

Project outcomes:

• In 6 communities of Khelvachauri and Kobuleti municipalities the initiative groups active citizens were formed;
• Precedents of civic participation in Ajara region through petitions took place;
• The Sakrebulo of Khelvachauri municipality discussed the petitions and made a decision to approve one petition by Makhinjauri citizens on water supply improvement;
• The Sakrebulo of Khelvachauri municipality discussed the petition of citizens from Maradidi administrative unit on the construction of Gym and gave recommendations to study and select the best territories for the construction in the current year;
• The Sakrebulo of Kobuleti municipality considered the recommendation of the Young Scientists Union “INTELLECT” and complied the Sakrebulo regulation on procedures for initiating petitions to the Code of Local Self- governance.

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