The GAF's Projects:
GAF's Current projects:
1. Support of Gender Alternatives Foundation to affirm gender equality and women’s rights through research, monitoring, counseling, legal representation, strategic litigation, training of professionals, advocacy and lobbying - (NoOCAY-14-499) Funded by OAK Foundation (July 2014 - June 2017)
2. Project BG05 / 755 "Together – to ensure justice for vulnerable groups of people" - The project is funded within the NGO programme in Bulgaria under the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2009-2014. Period for implementation: 15 months (31.10.2014 - 31.1.2016)
3. “Promotion of the rights of trafficked persons in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Romania with emphasis of legal support”, funded by the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Program of the EU Commission-Directorate-General Home Affairs in the period 2013-2015. Leading organization: Animus Association, Partner: Gender Alternatives Foundation;
4. “Trafficking in Human Beings: from exit to insertion, barriers and leverage”. Project start date and duration: 15.09.2014/15.09.2016, 24 months. Applicant: Amicale du Nid - Paris, France Partner: Gender Alternatives Foundation - Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
This project proposes to identify barriers and leverages to exit and reinsertion and to develop tools to support victims and disseminate the findings. The project is Co-funded by the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme of the European Union.
5. "Effective implementation of the Law on Protection againstDomestic Violence" under a Contract for granting financial help with reg. № 15-00-262 / 2014 signed with the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice. The project started in February 2015 and aims at securing better understanding on the Law and improving the coordination of institutions and civil society in cases of domestic violence.
Implemented Projects:
1. “Provision of sustainable legal and psycho-social support of persons victims of domestic violence and discrimination in Plovdiv region” funded by the OAK Foundation (2013-2014). The main programs of the project are: legal, psycho-social counseling, couple counseling, job seeking consultancy and work with perpetrators of domestic violence. The team ensures legal representation before national, regional and international courts. The activities are provided in the Counseling center of the Foundation in the city of Plovidv, 38 “4 of January” str., entr. B, fl. 2, apt. 4
2. “Provision of sustainable legal and psycho-social support of persons victims of domestic violence and discrimination in Plovdiv region” funded by the OAK Foundation (2012-2013).
3. “Empowering women economically”, funded by the Global Fund for Women Catapult platform (September 2013-June 2014). The project led to the creation of a Women’s Resource Centre in Plovdiv where Minority women (Roma and Turkish ethnic minorities), victims of domestic violence and single mothers who rely on social welfare are provided skills-building trainings on Information and communication technology (ICT) and English language courses, and Legal and Career counseling to ensure them confidence to meet market demand in a globalizing economy.
The GAF team is well known to the general public in Plovdiv as it has been working for decades against gender-based violence. It used to implement projects as part of the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation – Plovdiv Branch (BGRF-Plovdiv). Due to the perceived needs for acquiring operational and financial freedom, the GAF was established.
Projects which were implemented by the GAF's Team as part of the former BGRF-Plovdiv Branch:
1 “Pilot scheme for collaboration with Police in helping women victims of gender based crimes with free legal aid” was a program sponsored by OSI – Sofia and COLPI in 2003 and 2004. Its main aim was to create a working scheme for cooperation between the civil society and the police when providing legal aid to women – victims of gender based crimes – domestic violence, trafficking in women, sexual harassment at the work place, rape and lechery.
2 “Enforcement of the Frame Convention for Protection of National Minorities”, accomplished together with the Association of Roma Women and Children – Plovdiv, the Association for Democratic Initiatives – Macedonia and other 6 NGOs from the Balkan region in 2003 and 2004. It was sponsored by the BHRN and the Danish Government.
3 “Sustainable partnership between the Police and NGOs in Sofia and Plovdiv – for creating and enforcing new European standards for helping the victims of domestic violence and sexual violence”, supported by OSI and Canadian Agency for International Development in 2004 and 2005. Its main goal was to implement and elaborate the European standards for supporting and providing help to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
4 “Promoting the Rights of Minorities and Enhancing Intercommunity Understanding in SEE”, accomplished together with the Association “Office for self-help – Stolipinovo”, Association for Democratic Initiatives – Macedonia and other NGOs from the Balkan region. It was sponsored by BHRN in 2004-2005.
5 “Balkan Program of Gender Equality for Employment”, accomplished together with the Foundation “CRRD” – Albania and other NGOs from Macedonia and Kossovo. It was sponsored by BHRN in 2005-2006.
6 The Project “Effective protection for vulnerable groups of people in Sofia and Plovdiv”, sponsored by OSI – Sofia in 2005-2006.
7 “Protection of victims of domestic violence in the region of Plovdiv and providing them with free legal aid”, financed by the Government of Switzerland in 2005-2006.
8 “Coordinated efforts towards building an enabling environment for sustainable and effective implementation of the Bulgarian Law on Protection against Domestic Violence” - a 2-year project of the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation, “Demetra” Association- Burgas and Bulgarian Fund for Women, 2007-2008.
9 "Empowering Bulgarian women through counseling and litigation on employment discrimination cases", funded by Filia, 2008.
The project aimed at researching the needs and attitudes of women and at ensuring legal for women victims of employment discrimination, ensuring them counselling and legal representation, in order to empower them to seek and protect their human rights.
10 “Supporting women victims of domestic violence through litigation”, sponsored by OAK, 2009-2010.
11 “Let’s Say NO to Violence and Discrimination – Your Voice Matters!” – A youth project targeting young people aged 14-25 years. The project focused on violence and discrimination through the methods of non-formal education. It proposed new approaches to combating those negative social phenomena and gave information to young people how to recognize different types of human rights violations. The project was supported by the European Youth Foundation.
12 “Legal support for particularly vulnerable domestic violence victims such as foreign women; migrant women; Bulgarian women married or having relationships with foreigners; disabled women; minority women; and women victims of multiple discrimination”, supported by OAK Foundation, 2011-2012.
13 “Establishing and implementing a complex of innovative social services in the community for prevention and overcoming social exclusion of persons suffered domestic violence in the cities of Sofia, Plovdiv and Dimitrovgrad” – January 2011 – March 2012. The project was funded by European Structural Funds through Development of Human Resources Programme. The main activities of the project included the provision of free of charge social services – legal, psycho-social, married and couple counseling, job search consultancy, therapy sessions with perpetrators of domestic violence. Cooperating with key state and local institutions on the issues of domestic violence was also an essential element of the project.