Women with a voice for a fair budget in Shtip: from problem to initiative

Within the framework of the project „"Women with a voice for a fair budget in Shtip"“, Glasen Tekstilec realized four educational workshops on the topic „"Gender Responsive Budgeting: From Problem to Initiative"“, intended for women from urban and rural areas.

The workshops were implemented with trainer Beti Pejeva, through an interactive approach, discussions, practical exercises, group work and exchange of experiences.

From understanding the budget to creating initiatives

During the trainings, participants had the opportunity to learn more about the process of creating the municipal budget and understand why it is important for local budgets to take into account the different needs of women and men.

Special emphasis was placed on gender-responsive budgeting: an approach that allows public resources to be distributed more equitably and to respond to the real needs of the community.

Through practical work, the participants identified specific problems and priorities in their local environments. Working in groups, they analyzed the problems and turned them into gender budget initiatives and concrete proposals which can be addressed to the municipality.

From idea to concrete proposal

The workshops opened a space for discussion on issues related to access to local resources, the needs of women in urban and rural areas, and opportunities for greater participation of women in decision-making processes.

With each subsequent workshop, the participants upgraded their knowledge and refined their ideas, in order to turn them into real and applicable initiatives to improve conditions in the local community.

The last, fourth workshop was dedicated to finalizing the ideas and initiatives. The next step is teamwork to further develop them and officially submit them to the Municipality of Shtip, in order for the specific proposals to be taken into account in local policies and budget processes.

Women as active stakeholders in local decision-making

Through these activities, the project contributes to strengthening women's knowledge and capacities for active participation in local decision-making processes. At the same time, it creates a space for their real needs and suggestions to be recognized as an important part of the planning and allocation of public resources.