GEORGIA EMPLOYMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE


The Republic of Georgia is a small, lower income country situated in the heart of the politically unstable Caucasus region. This country of 4.4 million people has experienced rapid social and economic change since the collapse of the Soviet Union, confronting numerous ethnic and territorial conflicts while initiating ambitious programs of reform. Georgia's wholesale transition over the past decade has introduced a set of development challenges previously unknown, placing a great strain on the country's people and resources. Poverty has increased sharply, as incomes and means of social protection have rapidly deteriorated. As disparities in income dramatically inflate, the poor suffer disproportionately from a collapse in public spending on infrastructure, health and social services as well as loss of wealth and economic opportunity.

Since 2004, CHF has been implementing the USAIDsupported 5-year Georgia Employment and Infrastructure Initiative (GEII), which is designed to introduce and support effective market-driven development at the community level. GEII has been actively working with rural communities to strengthen their abilities to effectively identify, plan and invest in strategic economic development opportunities. Through various types of activities,GEII has established the essential foundation for long- term success. Over 3,000 communities, government, and business leaders have participated in GEII projects thus far, developing small business,planning for their future, and initiating collaborative projects to promote local economic development.

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 16 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 s3000 tudents.     

 

The goal of the Schools Rehabilitation extension to GEII is to support immediate rehabilitation and Upgrades 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.

 

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

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 shcools

 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.Akhalkhiza Public School

2. Tsitelubani Public School                                    7. Kheltubani Public School

3. Karbi Public School                                               8. Gori #10 Public School

4. Uplistsikhe Public school                                     9. Dzevera Public School  

5. Zemo Khviti Public School                                   10. Mereti Public School     

                                    

                                    

What is GEII?

In October 2004, CHF International launched the Georgia Employment and Infrastructure Initiative (GEII), a program developed specifically to improve essential infrastructure services and generate income for a socially and economically empowered citizenry in Georgia. Funded by USAID, GEII is expected to continue through September 2009.
 

Create jobs and stimulate economic growth by infusing capital throughout vulnerable communities and improving the socio-economic infrastructure of community clusters;

Develop networks of support and key linkages between communities and their local government, local and international socio-economic resources, other communities, and more;

Empower communities to pre-determine solutions to critical social and economic needs and enact strategies that leverage applicable resources from both the public and private sectors;

Foster new values and attitudes through constructive engagement that encourages the citizens of Georgia and their respective local governments to be responsible and accountable to each other; and

Sustain and institutionalize planning and initiative mechanisms so as to enhance the overall democratic movement in and throughout Georgia.

GEII: The Concept and Approach

CHF proposes a value-added community development approach that is proven in and around key transition countries, particularly throughout Eastern Europe, the NIS, Central Asia, and the Middle East, to create a sense of sustainable community empowerment and demonstrate a series of tangible results. The approach adapts, incorporates, and builds upon time-tested, proven community mobilization and economic clustering models in Serbia ($46+ million, Community Revitalization through Democratic Action), Uzbekistan ($5+ million, Community Action and Investment Program), Iraq ($29+ million, Access to Credit Services Initiative and Community Action Program), Lebanon ($18+ million, Rural Economic Development Initiative and Clustering for Economic Development And Revitalization of Industry Sectors), and Azerbaijan ($7.5+ million, Social and Democratic Investment Initiatives). It also draws from the Partnership's recent, unique experience in and throughout Georgia.

Adapted to the Georgian context, the GEII partnership strategy incorporates a variety of key program elements essential for its success, identified and confirmed by a month-long (eight-member team), extensive rapid start-up assessment. Those elements that are most relevant and, hence, underpin the strategy's development are:

•	Social interventions and economic linkages both within communities and across clusters;
•	Interrelated development strategies pursued simultaneously;
•	Sequencing interventions to complement and enhance capacity development;
•	Sustainability and reliability of process, with particular emphasis on building systematic, demand-driven linkages to local government efforts and private sector resources;
•	Strategic selection of target locations based on comprehensive and participatory research that is clear and transparent and maximizes USAID resources;
•	Timely and regular program evaluations, coupled with mechanisms to incorporate positive change;
•	Creative and practical joint programming efforts with other USAID and donor-supported programs;
•	Tailored programming based on distinct characteristics, e.g. urban and rural, conflict prone, economic and migration status, and level of infrastructure; and
•	Incorporation of cross-cutting issues (youth, gender, and conflict) critical to the empowerment of vulnerable populations.

To ensure that citizen participation was broad-based and included all elements of the local community, the representation on each committee was required to reflect the local ethnic and religious mix as well as to have representation by women and youths. The concept was that by getting people to work together towards a common goal, the program would begin to build a sense of trust and cooperation between the different ethnic and religious groups. To ensure that the community was really committed to the project and took ownership of it, the Mission decided that participating communities would be required to contribute at least 25 percent of the total project cost. The contribution could be in land, labor, equipment or cash and also could come from any other source, including government, NGOs and other donor groups.

The establishment of the committees provides a framework for community involvement and an opportunity to draw previously marginalized groups such as women and minorities into community action. Moreover, these committees constitute a forum representing broad-based community priorities that can form the basis for lobbying local and other government bodies for support. The community and cluster committees thus constitute the core vehicles for realization of the objectives of the program and are what make GEII a civil society program and not simply a community development activity.

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