Six NGOs from Belarus received practical training on establishing mentor networks for women’s economic empowerment in Belgrade

Thirteen representatives from six NGOs, working in different regions of Belarus, received practical training and exchanged experiences with Serbian experts on women’s empowerment during a workshop from 28 to 30 May 2018 in Belgrade. The main focus of the training was to provide hands-on tools and approaches to establish mentor networks for women, in order to enhance their economic participation. The event was organized by the OSCE Gender Section.

In his welcoming remarks Joseph Mellot, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission in Serbia, highlighted the importance of mentorship in helping women to overcome challenges they face in different social settings. Participants had an opportunity to hear personal experiences of successful mentees of the European Movement’s Mentor Programme “Share your Knowledge”, supported by the OSCE Mission in Serbia. “Mentoring is a great tool to promote gender equality and to support women from marginalized groups to be active members of the society,” stressed the lead trainer from European Movement, Svetlana Stefanovic.

During the highly interactive working group sessions participants learned new practical skills on how to conduct recruitment and mentor-mentee matching procedures. They received direct support in developing goals and objectives for their mentor programmes. The participants also had an opportunity to hear Serbian experiences and success stories in promoting gender equality and combating violence against women from the Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister for Gender Equality, Ljiljana Loncar, and representatives from civil society organizations.