Tsnisi Group of Women – Case study
The case study was prepared by the International Center of Conflict and Negotiation Gender Unit.
The presented case study is the part of CARE Georgia community investment program in partnership with ICCN, which was implemented in the frame of "Community Investment Program" (CIP -West) with the financial support of BP company.
The analysis concerns the Tsnisi seedling farm group (Akhaltsikhe district). Group members are women. For this reason, the group will be, later, referred to, as the women’s group. Our intention is to consider the case from the descriptive, and, partly, explanatory perspectives (case study), and, correspondingly, answer the “How” and “Why” questions.
Methodology
The case will be presented as an example of community initiative/mobilization. Also, since it involves a group of women, it is considered in the context of gender development, i.e. as an example of the enhancement of the empowerment of women.
It will be regarded as a single case, even though the analysis will partly cover other groups’ activities. The case study covers a 9 month period - from July 2005 to April 2006. Therefore, it could be regarded as a longitudinal study.
Apart from pure research work, we carried out certain activities (focus group, training, meetings) in relation to the group in question. Therefore, we played the role of agent in the research process, which is also reflected in the case study.
The entire research can be broken down into four components or stages.
I. Defining the subject of study and the analysis unit.
II. Data collection
III. Action plus data collection
IV. Interpretation of results
The material is provided in a chronological manner. Since all the four components were present during the entire research period, they cannot be linked to individual stages. Data collection, action and interpretation are encountered at every stage of case study, where, for example, action is followed by data collection and analysis by action. The comparison method is used for data presentation - comparison of situation (analysis unit) before and after study.
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The issue under investigation was the status of the women’s group in the community and the potential change in the amount of their empowerment resulting from their own activity or outside intervention. Therefore, the answers have to be found to the following questions:
What is the Tsnisi women’s group? What is their position in the community? What is their self esteem? What is the perception of the group’s activity and what determines like perception? Does the seedling farm/vegetable farming serve women’s mobilization? Have their status and self esteem changed after the conducted action? Therefore, the analysis unit is the women’s group “Sanerge”.
II Data collection comprised several stages
- Background (information provided by CARE)
- Focus group
- Meeting with CBO, analysis and recommendations
- Training delivered to the women’s group
- Focus group 2, analysis
- Training with community organization members
- Interview with the gamgebeli and population
III Interventions and the actions taken in relation to the women’s group We singled out 4 activities, considered as the intervention from outside and aimed at group support and empowerment.
- Information and resource support provided by CARE
- Focus group, helping to gain the awareness of the problem
- Training in the following areas: group, effective communication, gender analysis, project preparation, capacity building
- Assisting CARE in the development of the project and the launching of the vegetable farming project.
It has to be noted that training and focus group were included in both data collection and intervention categories, since these actions involved the two aspects. For example, during the training with the women’s group, the participants analyzed the community’s gender problems, used by us as data/information. We have also used the ideas expressed during the gender training of the community organization in the evaluation of the gender aspects of the projects. As for the focus groups, aimed, in the first place, at the collection of evidence and ensuring its accuracy, we think that during the process, the participants better realized the problems; they shared their ideas and arrived at an agreement. Sometimes the participants gained a new perception of the situation. In this respect, the focus group also contributed to increased awareness, which can be described as intervention. Read Full Text >>>