Limited time and limited budget.

Two municipalities and six communities of Ajara.

Khelvachauri – Kirnati, Makhinjauri, Ortabatumi.

Kobuleti – Chakhati, Khala, Chaisubani.

Selection Criteria: the least financing per capita from the local budget during the previous year.

The truth and the lies tangled, wandering from village to village, from community to community, door-to-door, from 9 in the morning till 12 at night...

Disappointed citizens with lost faith and trust!

Locals hardly gathered - after begging, with the help from the personal contacts and self-government representatives...

Noisy meeting held and problems even more darkened on the hard social background.

Approximately twenty problems named in each community and thoughts on how to solve them.

Defined problems and petitions prepared

And again on the road from 9 in the morning till 12 at night wandering from village to village, from community to community, door-to-door…the number of signatures on the petition far exceeding the needed amount, the members of initiative group still full of energy and the fight for the cause: petition – the voice of people in the self-government!

There were many obstacles and disappointments, intentional and unintentional barriers, addressless (and unfair) referrals ...

The biggest barriers were met on the way to the registration of the petitions: inconsistent regulations, out-of-orders of office equipment (scanner, photocopies), the stance of the local self-government: we don’t want to create a precedent of a petition!

...

Khelvachauri.

Temporary team studying the problems reflected in the petitions. Governmental and non-governmental parties together with initiative groups and for the common purpose: petition -the voice of people in the self-government!

All signatures checked and 100% result! Every second citizen was asked and all responded with confidence that they signed a petition.

Then there were muddled signatures and artificial barriers to decline the petitions. “Several pages are duplicated and 1% of the voters are not represented “-  the answer from the self-government.

 And again the new petition and signatures but with 100 more signatures...

And finally: the petition debates!

The first one (Otabatumi) rejected.

The second case was given for consideration to the local self-government. It was said that most probably the sports playground in Kirnati will be constructed.

The third case – positive decision: problems with drinking water in the village of Gantiadi of Makhinjauri community will be solved!

Four happy actors at the same time: local citizens, who will use the drinking water; we- the NGO sector, the implementer and the author of the idea; the initiative group - active and respected citizens - those who were not tired of wandering from village to village, door-to-door gathering the signatures for petitions; local self-government of Khelvachauri municipality - the first ones to discuss a petition and approve it! The authors of the first precedent!

Equally proud governmental and non-governmental sectors!

It seems we have at least one thing in common...

Great!

It’s worth being proud!

It’s setting an example!

This is a big achievement for the small project!...

...

Kobuleti.

One can assume that it was the “Achille’s heel” in registering petitions...

The legislative error, the collision between the local self-government regulation and the Organic Law of Georgia – The Code of Local Self-government.

And recommendations,

applications,

Dialogue...

Secret war!

Fight for achieving the aim!

Till the end, non-stop, without a surrender!

... and Yes!

The law is supreme!

Legislative error eliminated.

The collision between the regulation of Qobuleti Sakrebulo and the Organic Law of Georgia disappeared!

Yet this is another big achievement for the small project!

...

The fight to get to the target still goes on. Members of initiative groups are still gathering the signatures for the petitions.

After the case in Khelvachauri they have hope that their problems will also be solved.

Let’s hope they will…

And then I will say with more pride: one more big achievement for the small project!

...

We are thankful to NDI for its financial and emotional support.

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