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Vojvodjanka -
Regional Women's Initiative advocates the observing of basic democratic
values and human rights particularly focusing on gender equality.
Through its activities "Vojvodjanka" promotes civil society
in which both men and women of any age and background may take part
in public and political life and develops new co-operation models
and networks among political parties, non-governmental organizations
and media.
Vojvodjanka - Regional Women's Initiative has
participated the implementation of the following projects:
- Being one of the regional
centers formed in Novi Sad, Belgrade and Nis, "Vojvodjanka"
from Novi Sad coordinated the activities and distribution of promotional
material of the Women's Movement - Women's Network in the women's
election campaign of non-governmental organizations Go
Out and Be Active in 15 towns of Vojvodina in August and
September 2000.
- In December 2000, the
project called "Equal" was
organized to provide media support to the women's election campaign
of the Women's Movement - Women's Network for the republic elections
held on December 23, 2000. Vojvodjanka - Regional Women's Initiative
set out three regional media centers in Novi Sad, Nis and Belgrade
together with the professional female journalists who covered the
activities of women in media. "Equal" media project was
supported by Stability Pact Gender Task Force. Two short documentary
films were also shot (in CD format) on the implementation of the
campaign in Vojvodina during the election campaign - "Equal
1" and "Equal 2", in the co-operation with the independent
urbaNS TV production. The Sweden government supported the project
financially.
- In December 2000 and January
2001, together with the Women's Active Society we organized in Novi
Sad the collection of signatures for the amendments
of the Law on the Yugoslav Army - like shortening the military
service and plea of conscience.
- In January 2001, The
2000 Facts was published. The publication represents the
first publicly announced analysis of the men/women ratio in newly
formed municipal, provincial, republic and federal assemblies and
parliaments in Vojvodina and Serbia & Montenegro. 12,000 copies
were printed and distributed to all political parties, assemblies
and parliaments, non-governmental organizations and printed and
electronic media in the country. The project has been realized with
the financial support of the Fund For An Open Society - Yugoslavia.
- In 2000 and 2001, the
Women's Info Center for Vojvodina was
founded as one of the first projects of the Stability Pact Gender
Task Force in Vojvodina. The project activities lasted for six months.
We created our own web site www.vojvodjanka.org.yu,
printed "Equal" bulletin, organized round tables in a
number of Vojvodina towns on the current status of women. The project
was implemented thanks to the financial support by the Austria Government.
- Between March and August, 2001, Vojvodjanka - Regional Women's
Initiative took part as a partner organization in the Incubator
programme of the trans-border activities of the civil societies,
realized by the Euroregional Center for Democracy from Timisoara.
Within the programme the project Let's Work
Together in Politics was carried out with the participation
of Association for Promotion of Women in Romania, from Timisoara,
and Vojvodjanka - Regional Women's Initiative from Novi Sad. The
publication titled "Let's Work Together in Politics" was
published in Serbian, Romanian and English. Two short documentaries
on the project realization were also prepared in a CD format, in
Serbian and English.
- In October and November,
2001, we participated the organization of the Women
Can Do It of the Norway Peoples' Aid in Novi Sad.
- Between March and May
2002, we were the main organizer of the project Let's
Make Women's Potentials in Non-Governmental Sector Vivid
aimed at strengthening the network of women's non-governmental organizations
in Novi Sad and promoting women's human rights. The project was
realized thanks to the financial support of the Fund For An Open
Society - Yugoslavia.
- From January to April
2002, the project Women's Business Crediting
was organized, together with two round tables Together
To Solution in Belgrade on 15th April and in Novi Sad on
17th April 2002, in the co-operation with the STAR Belgrade Office,
Stability Pact Gender Task Force and Association of Business-Women
from Novi Sad. Publication Together To Solution was published in
Serbian and English. The project was financially supported by USAID
Commercial Law Project, Booz Allen Hamilton.
- Since May 2002, Vojvodjanka
- Regional Women's Initiative has been a member of the ASTRA
network and it takes part in the preventive and educational
campaign Open Your Eyes in Vojvodina.
The campaign deals with the problems of human trafficking, in particular
with the trafficking of women and children; its goal is to inform
wider public on the women trafficking issues.
- On June 21, 2002, in the
co-operation with the Provincial Secretariat for Sport and Youth,
we organized the event For Future without Any
Borders at the Backa Palanka Bridge. The event was a civil
support to the efforts of the representatives of Serbia & Montenegro
and Croatian governments in order to abolish the visa regime and
promote bilateral relations between the two countries. The event
was realized in the co-operation with the Federal Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Citizens' Pact for Southeast Europe, municipal authorities
of Ilok and Backa Palanka, Center for Women and Association of Women
from Vukovar, Association for Protection of Women and Motherhood
from Ilok, Civil Association of Serbia and League of Vojvodina Social-Democrats.
The event simultaneously took place on both Serbian and Croatian
side of the border at the border crossing on the Backa Palanka Bridge.
There is a short documentary shot on the event in a CD format in
Serbian and English languages. The film was made in the co-operation
with the independent urbaNS TV production. The Citizens' Pact for
Southeast Europe participated the event.
- Between 10 and 20 September,
2002, in the co-operation with the Center for Political Education
and MEDIAPACT, with the professional support by the psychiatrists
from the "Society for Protection of Mental Help and the Victims
of 1991-1999 Wars" from Novi Sad, we organized an exhibition
of war photographs "Blood and Honey" by Ron Haviv.
The Exhibition drew great public attention since the visitors were
given the opportunity to write their own comments and attitudes
down on the blank paper put beside Ron Haviv's photographs. Two
public discussions were also organized as accompanying programmes
- " Vietnamese Syndrome in Serbia" and "Is War a
Free Choice?" as well as the screenings of four documentary
films on the wars in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The
Exhibition in Novi Sad was visited by 5,000 people. The organizers
of the Ron Haviv's war photographs in the towns of Serbia and Vojvodina
were the Documentary Center "1991-199 Wars" and the REX
Cultural Center from Belgrade. The exhibition was supported by the
Freedom House with the financial support by the USAID.
- On December 3, on the
occasion of the World Day of the Disabled we organized in Novi Sad
the event and the exhibition, TOGETHER, NOT
BESIDE YOU! under the auspices of the City Hall of Novi Sad.
The exhibition TOGETHER, NOT BESIDE YOU! is a new form of the co-operation
between the local authorities, non-governmental organizations and
organizations which gather disabled people and people with special
needs.
- Since 2000, Vojvodjanka
- Regional Women's Initiative has been regularly participating the
Exhibition of Non-governmental Organizations
in Timisoara, Romania, which is organized each year by the
Euroregional Center for Democracy.
- In 2001 and 2002, we co-ordinated the activities related to the
organization of the training programme Women
Can Do It, 1 & 2 in Vojvodina and Serbia. This education
programme, intended for women at non-governmental organizations
and parliamentary political parties, was initiated by the Stability
Pact Gender Task in 12 countries of the South-Eastern Europe.
- In 2002, we took part
in the implementation of the ECONOMICALLY EQUAL
campaign of the women's non-governmental organizations. We co-ordinated
the activities in the towns of Vojvodina such as - Sombor, Kikinda,
Sremska Mitrovica, and Novi Sad. The project was implemented by
the Gender Task Force in Serbia and Vojvodina. Financial support
for the project was provided by the Italian government.
- In 2003, we organized
the VIVISECT project with the support
of the Project for Democratic Transition and Reintegration in Serbia.
The project was financially supported by the Freedom House with
the funds provided by the American Agency for International Development.
A short Documentary and a Book of Documents
titled VIVISECT represent a testimony of the way in which
the "Blood and Honey" exhibition of war photographs of
the American journalist Ron Haviv in Novi Sad and of the respond
of numerous visitors of the exhibition. In September 10-20, 2002
the exhibition in Novi Sad was visited by over 5,000 people who
had the opportunity to write down their own comments on blank paper
sheets near the photographs which were exhibited for eight days
without any author's subtitles. During the exhibition 500 paper
sheets were collected with visitors' comments written down on everyday
basis. VIVISECT is a document which bears witness of social and
political situation in Serbia after the fall of Milosevic's regime
and of the reasons which make the process of facing the truth about
wars and war crimes during the last decade of the 20th century in
the territory of the former Yugoslavia more difficult. VIVISECT
was screened at the International Film festival on Human Rights
in New York (USA), in Subotica (Serbia), Prizren (Kosovo), Barcelona
(Spain) and Warsaw (Poland).
- Between November 2002 and February 2004, within the regional projects
of the Stability Pact Gender Task Force, Vojvodjanka - Regional
Women's Initiative has been implementing the EUROREGIONAL
WOMEN'S POLITICAL CO-OPERATION project. In the cross-border
project women from non-governmental organizations, political parties,
local authorities and media from Hungary, Romania and Vojvodina
took part. The Danish government provided the financial support
for the project.
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