Women from rural areas encouraged and organised for changes in local communities

“I feel encouraged, more self-confident and sufficiently informed about my rights, but also about the obligations of the municipality to respond to the demands of the women from rural areas and include them in the local policy creation. What is most important, for the first time I realized that we are not alone in this process, but that we have the support of CSOs to work together and meet our needs. Now I know that the voice of a single woman can become strong when it is supported by the community and joined with other women who believe in changes”, says Anita Ristovska from the village of Mozhdivnjak near Kriva Palanka.

Her empowerment in civic engagement in the local community is a result of her active participation in the informative and educational workshops within the project “Active Women” which is implemented by the humanitarian association “Mother” from Kumanovo, in partnership with the Regional Centre for Sustainable Development from Kratovo, RCS “Spectre” from Kriva Palanka and the Foundation for Small and Medium Enterprise Development from Kumanovo. The goal is to apply models for citizen participation in the decision making at local level via gender sensitive actions and contribution to adoption of programmes and budgets in the municipalities of Kumanovo, Kriva Palanka and Kratovo. The project is supported by the Swiss Government via Civica Mobilitas programme, implemented by MCIC.

Young Ristovska as a local animator has shown the ability to mobilize the women from her community. The citizens of Mozhdivnjak have not been aware of the competences of the local self-government so far, as well as its obligation to respond to the demands of the people. After the education, they got acquainted with the possibilities for communication with the institutions, the meaning of joint approach and the methods to identify the priority problems. At the same time, they were also interested in being involved in advocacy actions.

“With these workshops, we realized that we have the possibilities and the power to make changes in our community if we act with self-confidence and in an organised manner, rather than ad-hoc and individually. It is especially important that we have jointly defined the biggest priorities for our community, such as the need for rehabilitation of the old school building, the incomplete coverage with water supply networks, the non-functional sewage network, lack of a doctor and local clinic, local transport, etc. Now we are sufficiently aware and trained to know where to address our demands, how to approach the people in charge and what to expect from them. Our unity is out biggest advantage, women from rural communities can be the main movers of local development”, says Ristovska.

Dragana Micevska from the same village stresses that she has been informed for the first time that there is a mechanism for requesting public information, that can be used to find out about the development plans of the municipality and the way the budget funds are spent.

“So far, nobody has asked our opinion about what is most needed in our community. However, by participating in the workshops we have been not only informed how to follow the work of the

municipality, but also that we have the right to participate in the public debates on the budget, give out proposals and ask for information that concerns us,” adds Micevska.

With the help of the Young Lawyers’ Association, the women are already preparing a specific request for public information on the most pressing issues in Mozhdivnjak, which will be submitted to the Municipality of Kriva Palanka soon.

Apart from information and education, the women of Mozhdivnjak have already started an initiative to arrange the children’s playground in the village. The problem is especially important because the children now play at the regional road, which is a serious safety risk.

“We saw that the municipality has been investing in children’s playgrounds in other places. Now we know that we have the right to demand, to propose that there is a location arranged for such a facility in our village as well, and to approach the people in charge. This will be our first organized approach to the mayor and municipal services, in which we will show our preparedness, engagement and influence”, say the women in the village.

After the completion of the current cycle of workshops, the women feel motivated to continue with their active participation in the decision-making processes. They no longer see themselves as passive monitors of the social processes, but they are becoming leaders and loud advocates for the changes that they want to see in their communities.

With the project “Active Women” there have been around 200 women mobilized from 8 local communities in Kumanovo, Kriva Palanka and Kratovo. The next phase of the project contains trainings in presentation skills, easier access to labour market, regional networking, monitoring of programmes and budgets, as well as participation in public events. With their active participation in consultative and advocacy processes, it is expected that the municipalities will develop a methodology for constant and essential involvement of women from rural communities in local policy planning and decision making, for the wellbeing of the entire community.