Author: Mirela Ledenko
Already in 2020, the idea was born to establish and register a women’s association in Glamoč, a unique association that would bring together all women from Glamoč, regardless of religious, national or party affiliation. The following year, the Women’s Association “Žad” Glamoč, headed by President Mirela Ledenko, officially began its work with its registration.
We are receiving a room for the Association from the Municipality of Glamoč, in the building of the People’s University (Culture Center).
Many people have prejudices when it comes to women’s associations and imagine women who gather and do only some manual work, which is actually one of the activities, but not the only one. The purpose of our association is precisely to break down prejudices in various fields, but primarily to educate, affirm and empower women. By registering the association, we have been given the opportunity to apply for various public calls, projects, education and workshops and to cooperate with many international organizations and associations.
During the registration process, we became members of the local development network and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Center for Civic Cooperation from Livno. In addition to them, we have been cooperating with the Municipality of Glamoč and the local Association “Runolist” and KUD “Budućnost” Glamoč from the very beginning, as well as other associations: Medica Zenica, NGO Association of Women Grahovo, Li-Woman Livno, Most Jablanica, Merdžan Tešanj.
Our first activities were creative workshops where we made various handicrafts: macrame, making bags, bags, baskets, knitting, drawing on aluminum foil, decoupage, making flowers from cold porcelain, puffy wool blankets, bracelets, hairpins and cuffs, etc. The first project that was approved for us was “Replacing the front door and adapting the toilet”, then we received donations: for equipping the rooms and heating convectors (CGS), a tailoring and sewing package and two sewing machines (Medica), a drying tunnel for herbs and a laptop (OSCE), and we are also completing the equipping of the kitchenette funded by the Australian Embassy. We also attend various education and training courses important for women, such as: Protection of women’s and children’s rights, entrepreneurship training, writing a business plan, writing projects, NLP workshops, public speaking and communications, leadership, prejudice and teamwork, dealing with fears and obstacles, conflicts, stress and burnout, internet safety, etc. We are also involved in humanitarian work: we collected funds for two of our fellow citizens, we collected and donated hygiene packages for earthquake victims in Turkey, we collected and donated funds and potatoes for flooded areas in Jablanica. We also organized the first Gastro Potato Festival in Glamoč to promote Glamoč potatoes and our region. We are also proud of the fact that we have organized the Sevdah Fest in Glamoč for two years in a row.
Women from smaller communities are often on the social margins and it is very important for them to be part of these associations where they find entertainment, but also understanding and support, learn about their rights and have the opportunity to receive education in various fields.
In addition to the above goals, our association advocates for economic independence, self-awareness, and full inclusion of women in all spheres of life, and we also promote the NGO sector and our local community through various activities.
Our mission continues, and at the end, a message to all women if they are not part of an association to definitely change that, because they will be richer with a lot of things and will upgrade their knowledge.
The media content was created as part of the project “Promoting Citizen Participation in Local Government”, which the Center for Civic Cooperation from Livno is implementing with the support of the National Foundation for Democracy (NED). The content and views expressed in the text are the author’s personal views and do not reflect the views of the Center for Civic Cooperation and the National Foundation for Democracy. The use of the content and its transfer to third parties is possible with the prior consent of the Center for Civic Cooperation.
Source: cgslivno.org
