ul. Kalinin 88
Novocherkassk
346427 Rostovskaia Oblast
Tel: (86352) 31-936
Fax: (86352) 34-107
Contact: Valentina I. Cherevatenko

Building Peace after Conflict Project

The Union of Don Women was formed out of the first forum of "Women of the Don," which took place on 28 April 1993 in Novocherkassk. 101 women from 13 cities and regions of the Rostov oblast took part. The constituent conference of the Union of Don Women occurred on 18 September 1993, and the Union was registered with the Department of Justice of the Rostov Administration on 31 March 1994. [ Learn more about the 1996 meeting of Women of the Don ]

Groups involved in the Union of Don Women include the following: the organization "Mother and Child" (Novocherkassk), the regional paper "Don Teacher" (Rostov-on-Don), the television studio "Mir" (Shakhty), the Red Cross, the Philanthropic Fund from the City of Belaya Kalitva, the women's association "Madame" (Taganrog), the group on reproductive rights (Novocherkassk), the Association "Hope" (Kamnsk), the group for the rehabilitation of soldiers, the group for educational reform (Novocherkassk), the Association of Journalists "Aksinya" (Novocherkassk), and others.

The Union of Women of the Don, as many other nongovernmental organizations, considers one of its constituent goals achieving the legal and social protection of citizens and helping citizens who lack their rights and freedoms. The basic sphere and directions of the Union's activities are to increase the role of women in societal, economic, social and cultural life, protect their interests, and do philanthropic work.

The Union is trying to fulfill the following tasks:

• to encourage women to work in leadership posts in government and society;
• to distribute information about the social status of women;
• to strengthen the family; to recognize the social significance of motherhood, fatherhood, and women's domestic work; and to protect children's rights;
• to achieve agreement and peace among peoples in the face of all forms of nationalism and chauvinism;
• to help women and youth realize their rights at work in the conditions of the market economy; to support them in industrial and commercial activities;
• to participate in philanthropic work;
• to encourage the rebirth of moral and spiritual values and to protect cultural traditions.

In 1996 the Union of Don Women became the initiator and organizer of an international conference, "Women for Life without War and Violence!" The sponsor of the conference was the Open Society Institute. The Conference took place from 15-16 November, 1996, in Rostov-on-Don. More than 250 people representing 85 NGO's from Russia (20 members of the federation), Armenia, Georgia and the US came. The work of the conference was widely covered in the press and received positive evaluations in Russian and international society.

This project is a direct continuation and development of the ideas and program of action discussed and accepted by the international conference "Women for Life without War and Violence!"

By decision of the conference itself, the conference was transformed into a constantly acting organization, and realizing the program of action it accepted -- "Women for the Peaceful Resolution of Nationalist Conflicts" -- has become the first and foremost, long-term task of the Union of Don Women, which continues to develop actively its connections with NGO's in the Northern Caucasus and other regions of Russia. This has allowed us to widen significantly the geographic area covered by the project.

The latest project is: Building Peace after Conflict

The NIS Third Sector Organization section is based on information found in the print edition of "The Post-Soviet Handbook". For more information on the Handbook and instructions on how to order, see our Post Soviet Handbook Information page.

The URL for this page is: http://www.friends-partners.org/~ccsi/nisorgs/russwest/wmnofdon.htm

Center for Civil Society International
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