OSCE trains civil society organizations in Armenia and Moldova on establishing women-to-women mentor networks

The OSCE Gender Section organized two two-day training workshops for representatives of civil society groups in Armenia and Moldova on how to set up mentor networks on 30 June - 1 July 2017 in Yerevan and on 10 - 11 July 2017 in Chisinau. The mentor networks are a powerful tool for empowering women and removing socio-economic barriers to their full participation in public life.

Fourteen staff members working in six Women Resource Centres across Armenia participated in the training held in Yerevan. In Moldova, thirteen representatives from civil society organizations working on issues such as women’s engagement in cultural activities, women victims of violence and promoting women’s rights at community level took part in the training workshop.

The participants learned about the concept of mentor networks and the practical steps involved in establishing a mentor network, using the joint road map created by the OSCE and the Danish NGONGO
non-governmental organization KVINFO as a “how-to” manual for creating a mentoring network. In both countries, the participants developed their own project proposals for establishing such networks.

The trainings, which brought together participants from different backgrounds in both countries, were conducted by the Serbian non-governmental organization European Movement.

The training workshops are part of the OSCE Gender Section‘s multi-year project to establish women-to-women mentor networks in the OSCE region. The events in Armenia and Moldova were made possible through contributions from the government of the United Kingdom.