Revitalizing Communities through Employment and Infrastructure
CHF International launched the 5-year Georgia Employment and Infrastructure Initiative (GEII) in October 2004 with the assistance of USAID. The program is assisting vulnerable communities in achieving greater self-sufficiency and stability by providing vocational training and employment opportunities in construction skills while rehabilitating community-prioritized major infrastructure. The community-driven process, which focuses on hundreds of communities and entrepreneurs across Georgia, aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Promoting and enhancing entrepreneurship, incomes and employment opportunities through economic facilitation and outreach.
- Increasing capacities for public-private partnerships in rural areas through innovative partnerships between government, the private sector, and civil society emphasizing planning and strategy.
Economic investment projects supported by CHF are competitively selected based on their potential to create and sustain jobs, increase incomes, provide cost savings and stimulate entrepreneurial activity. These projects — which generally complement and enable other community-based initiatives—include:
Economic Infrastructure: Irrigation systems, market rehabilitation, produce storage facilities, roads, etc.
Income Generation: Greenhouses, small-scale food processing, tourism and handicrafts.
With this vision, GEII is undertaking a host of integrated local economic development initiatives, divided between the following two programmatic components:
- Public-Private Partnerships. Activities carried out under this component facilitate and strengthen the link between the three sectors and promote institutionalization of sustainable practices. Investments made under this component will directly support and reinforce the priorities of GEII stakeholders, couched within national, district, and regional strategies.
- Economic Facilitation and Outreach. Activities carried-out within this component are designed to develop the business and entrepreneurial skills of community, government, and business leaders. Learning is reinforced through support them through investments in productive practices and assets.
In achievement of this, GEII will:
- Create more than 3,000 new long-term jobs through enterprise development activities;
- Stimulate 250+ loans valued at over $250,000 through project leveraging and referrals;
- Assist
small to medium sized enterprises to increase sales totaling over
$2,500,000 in collaboration with SME Support and AgVantage;
- Institutionalize sustainable planning / dialogue through at least 15 Economic Development Advisory Groups and integration of 132+ community economic development plans;
- Reinforce
existing planning processes and bolster national priorities in all
regions where GEII works through alignment of investments to district –
regional – national strategies;
- Directly benefit over 350,000 stakeholders throughout Georgia through project activities.
What is GEII
School Rehabilitation
Program?
June 2009, CHF International~Georgia has
awarded with extension of the Georgia Employment and Infrastructure Initiative
(GEII) to support immediate rehabilitation and upgrades approximate 20 badly
deteriorated public schools located in the former conflict zones of Gori and
Kareli districts of the Shida Kartli region. The GEII Schools Rehabilitation
program extension will engage the Ministry of Education and Science (MES),
regional and district level education officials, school administrators,
parents, and students in identifying rehabilitation priorities and planning and
contributing to projects which improve the learning environment for an
estimated 3000 students.
Tsitelubani war affected Public school Tseronisi War affected Public school Dvani War affected Public School
The goal of the Schools Rehabilitation
extension to GEII is to support immediate rehabilitation and Upgrades
approximate 16 badly deteriorated public schools located in the former conflict
zones of Gori and Kareli districts of the Shida Kartli region in order to
improve the physical learning environment.
The Schools Rehabilitation extension will meet
two primary objectives:
- Improved physical conditions including maximized use of
locally available and appropriate energy efficient construction materials
and techniques; and,
- Improved access to equipped learning environments.
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Anticipated
Program Impact
- Number
of children who have improved learning environment as a result of USG
interventions 3500
- Number
of Schools using energy efficient construction materials and
techniques 16
- Number
of classrooms repaired with USG
assistance 233
- Number
of schools completing School improvement
plan
16
- Number of
communities benefitiing fromUSG sponsored infrastructure
projects 16
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CHF has designed a three-pronged approach to
the Schools Rehabilitation extension. This approach includes:
1)ensuring the achievement of minimum standards
for the physical learning environment in each school; 2) involving local
stakeholders to determine priorities above and beyond the minimum standards;
and 3) maximizing use of energy efficient construction materials and techniques
as feasible. Effective coordination mechanisms with the MES as well as other
government- and donor-supported programs targeting school rehabilitation and
the education sector will target opportunities for leverage and reduce
duplication.
CHF International is a 50-year-old, American
non-profit, international development organization that serves as a catalyst
for long-lasting and positive change in areas of community, habitant and
finance worldwide.
Locations of Schools
Potential Kareli Municipality Schools/Shida Kartli
1. Dvani Public
School
2. Takhtisdziri Public
School
3. Dzlevidjvari Public
School
4. Dirbi Public
School
5. Ruisi #3 Public
school
6. Tseronisi
Public School
Potential Gori Municipality Schools/Shida Kartli
1. Kirbali Public School 6. Mereti Public
School
2. Tsitelubani Public
School 7. Dzevera Public
School
3. Karbi Public
School 8.Akhalkhiza Public School
4. Uplistsikhe
Public school 9. Kheltubani Public School
5. Zemo Khviti Public
School 10. Gori #10 Public School