Women cooperate in the Baltic Sea Region

In the recent years two interesting gender projects aiming at improvement of women's situation have been initiated in Gdańsk. One is implemented by the Network of East-West Women and the other by Gdańsk Entrepre-neurship Foundation. Both projects have the honorary patronage of the City of Gdańsk.

Within the framework of the project non-governmental organizations and institutions organize seminars and study visits, which lead to exchange of information and experience. "South Baltic Area - Domestic Violence against Women Free Zone" Seminar in Kretinga, December 2009

The project "South Baltic Area - Domestic Violence against Women Free Zone" implemented in Gdańsk, Kaliningrad, Kretinga and Karlshamn is answering a need for cooperation and exchange of good practices on opposing and preventing domestic violence against women between civil society organizations, local governments and institutions, like police or crisis intervention centers. It is estimated that every fifth woman in the area of the South Baltic has been subjected to domestic violence. Hence the project is answering an urgent need, especially that in the post-communist countries, there are not enough shelters for victims of domestic violence, crisis centers and support centers for women. One of the main objectives of the project is creation of a network of NGOs, politicians, representatives of local government, business and media in the South Baltic Region that would help oppose violence against women and support its victims.The project is funded by the South Baltic Cross-border Cooperation Programme of the European Regional Development Fund.

At the same time Gdańsk Entrepreneurship Foundation is supporting women who want to become entrepreneurs. The Foundation is implementing a project entitled "Mentoring of Women in Business" which aims at provision of assistance to women who are starting their own business. The participants of the project can take part in workshops and use assistance of a mentor who is an experienced businessman or a businesswoman.

This is a second project directed to women implemented by the Foundation. The first one, called DIONE (which also used the mentoring method) aimed at women who needed support at first stages of establishing and running their own companies, mainly in the field of technology or other fields of knowledge-based sector of economy. The project "Mentoring ofWomen in Business" is funded by Fund for Non-governmental Organizations supported by Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism.