Rural areas offer less possibilities for women's active participation in local community. Gender inequality and domestic violence further deepen such unfavorable position.
Idea is to encourage women through empowering activities in order they easier actively involve in local community and women victims of domestic violence to ask for help. Through educating women, NGO's and diverse members of the community about domestic violence and gender equality issues we aim to increase civic cohesion.

Croatia - rural area of Central Croatia (town Ogulin with 5 municipalities).

There is a belief in the local community that violence is not a social problem, but a private matter - that is the myth that needs to be broken! According to official data of institutions in the Ogulin area in 2019. there is a visible increase in domestic violence by 56% compared to 2018. From our experience of working with victims of domestic violence we know that this number is much higher because only 1 in 10 women reports violence. At the county level, 95% of all victims are women. Given the stereotype and prejudices based on gender inequality of women in the community, they can not be equal and active members of society, therefore they can not reach their full potential. That is the situation we want to change through education and rising the awareness of locals.

Our target groups are: 1. women, including domestic violence victims, 2. partner associations members from the Ogulin area, 3. experts working with victims of domestic violence (police, social welfare center, etc.), 4. teachers staff and school experts, 5. primary and secondary school students, 6. leaders of local institutions. It is important for us to educate all the groups mentioned above in order to strengthen them so they could provide support to members of local community in need after the end of project. We will include leaders of local institutions as well in debate of the opposing parties and the ultimate goal is to change the practice in their institutions regarding the issue of gender inequality.

1. Workshop „Women empowerment“ for partner associations members (self-confidence, goals achievement, communication skills, financial literacy); 2. Workshops „Domestic violence“ and 3. “Gender equality” both for partner associations members and local institutions experts; 4. Education of elementary school students, teachers and school experts on domestic violence; 5. Forum theater education for elementary school students and teachers; Work on forum theater story preparation and “peer to peer” performance; 6. Education of high school students, teachers and school experts on gender equality and students competition for the best video on the topic of gender equality; 7. Debate on gender equality between women and men as opposing parties; 8. Public awareness informational events.

The community will be empowered through educated: experts and project partners on the topic of domestic violence and gender equality (min 20-30 people), students of primary and secondary schools (min 40-60 people), school staff (min 5-8 people) and through debate on gender equality. Based on the above, we expect that the most of locals will understand that we must all get involved in solving problems if we want to reduce domestic violence and gender inequality. Through forum theater stories, as a method of solving social problems in which the audience actively participates and through filming videos on gender equality, young people will be encouraged to think critically and actively engage in the local community and they will hopefully become a role model for new generations.

Empowering women, especially victims of domestic violence, and educating the wider local community, including civil society organizations, will strengthen the whole community. Associations will strengthen their capacities and have the opportunity to spread their newly acquired knowledge further in the local community and help women, including women victims of domestic violence. All members of the local community educated through this project will use acquired knowledge to improve the position of women in the local community, and thus the opportunities for women’s more active participation in it.

Everyday we witness the agony of women and children victims of violence and the problems they face in exercising their rights. We see how difficult is for them to heal the wounds and continue with a normal life. Through working with a whole community we want to change myth of violence as a private matter and thus ensure victims of violence no longer encounter environmental stigma and misunderstanding of institutions, but to know they can get effective help and can count on local community support. We also want community to understand how gender inequality contributes to domestic violence and how only through achieving gender equality is possible to achieve equal opportunities for women and men and consequently the full potential of each individual as one of the important European values.

- Direct cost, activities with target groups 1,900 EUR
- Personnel cost ( trainers, coordinator) 31,600 EUR
- Public relations cost 900 EURO
- Administrative cost 2,000 EUR
- Visibility cost 100 EUR
- Refreshment cost (related mainly for target groups activities) 1,600 EUR
- Contingence reserve 1,000 EUR

We would like to know if our idea is understandable to those who read it and is it clear enough what we want to achieve through it. We are interested in any proposal aimed at improving our idea. Also, we would like to know do others see us as a future partner on issues presented in this project.