The priority challange is raising awareness of woman position and women's rights in the rural area. Advocating woman's position in family and society so they become active actors in the life of the local community and change in the sphere of decision- making of general interest. Activites: direct work with 10 woman from villages, thematic workshops (computer literacy, on line forums, personal finances managment, work on democratic culture and communication…)

Our project idea will take place in Sinj, Cetinska krajina, Dalmatia, Croatia

This region is mountain cross-border area to Bosnia and Herzegovina with an index of development below 75%. There are no stores, post offices, kindergartens and other public services outside urban areas. Also this area is characterised by demographic imbalance- young people are emigrated, poor traffic connection, high rate of unemployment, especially woman. All of above mentioned leads to a growing poverty and loss of rural areas as a accetable place to live. Especially woman feel disadvanteged. Mostly they are unemployed, no ability to work, limited social interaction. We are going to encourage their social inclusion, include them in labour market, improve woman's life quality in rural areas, generally, their self-confidence and their role in community.

Target group are women, mostly middle-aged, who live in rural areas, unemployed for a long time, mostly deprived, rare social interactions, computer illiterate, marginalized. After the Homeland War the most of villages were devastated, later on, homes were rebuilt but other social facilities, no. Most of local authorities didn't take care about it or very poor, so many of debates about rural development ended unsuccessfully. We'll make the short interview with each woman from target group to have insight in their way of life and the issues they are facing with. Accordingly, we are going to make „mapping“ of different opinions on this issue and keep on communicate on each level (target group, local authorities, community,…) to extend it in program of rural development.

A short interview with participants in project is the first step to obtain insight in their position, than organise workshops on specific topic (computer literacy, communication, managment of own finances, long-term vision for rural areas, level of democracy in rural area)- development of programs that enhance woman's job skills and employment potential, improving their social life, direct communication as a way to encourage women to have their own point of view.
They will learn how to be connected to labor market and use available instruments (write cv, internet usage and meet the successful models of self-employment).
Communicate to local authorities about rural women issues and visions- to take it into consideration in community planning and decision making.

According to prevoius estimates based on current projects (the target group analysis enables to set up project activities and its feedback) it's important for deprived women to participate in such project, to hear their needs. Self-confidence is something that they learn to build up thanks to project because the challenging the way of living in rural area and life in general, deflated it. This change is very important because lack of self-confidence leads to feel bound to point out the issues they faced to. They don't feel free to communicate it in public. This project brings in focus their position and their capacities and how to apply it in long term strategies of rural development.

One of the aims of our workshops is to meet active citizenship and its role in community. In this case it's role of women in society. What is their current position and enlight how to change it: their needs, limits of rural areas, encourage them to be more competitive in labour market so that could be input for the local authorities, too- to implement their position in rural development program. Corruption in privatization process undermined two big factories where 3000 of women have been worked. The factories have been completely devastated. Also, project activities will improve their mutual communication, their expectations of the program and their vision of democracy in rural areas. So it's very important to challange themselves to be active creators and participant in own community.

Our motivation came from our own experience: we are young educated woman, live in rural area, mostly unemployed, rare opportunities for education - and this lasts for many years. Every step we make to change something ends soon and unsuccesfully. Local authorities have no ability to change something in favor of woman. Existing education programmes for women in rural area mostly offered nursing or geriatric nursing programme, for example, self-employment programmes are rare. Behind everything lies the patriarchal social relations. We want to emphasize the importance of persisting work with women in rural areas, empowering their capacities so they could be able to be successful stakeholders in rural society.

- Project managment (project manager and project assistant) 26400 EUR
- Office expenses 1100 EUR
- Computer equipment for target group 9000 EUR
- Workshops (lecturer, consultant) 4900 EUR
- Rent 490 EUR
- Refreshment 700 EUR
- Working material (workshops) 1000 EUR
- Travel costs 800 EUR
- Roundtable (moderator, lecturer fee) 700 EUR
- Project presentation 300 EUR
- Media (radio newscast) 800EUR
- Promotion material 1100 EUR
- Field trip 800 EUR
- Accountant 1800 EUR

Feedback on: Which level is achieved in - promotion of women's human rights, overcoming the barriers women faced in integrating women effectively into the labour market in other European countries and how it affects women of different ages, ethnic, economic and educational backgrounds.