Oct 2012 – Women for Clean Environment: Creating Healthy Future for Children

The goal of the project was to promote increased environmental consciousness and healthy lifestyle in Gyumri and Akhurian, where a group of active women were empowered to become agents of change in their communities by promoting plastic free environment and initiating a movement towards reducing usage of shopping plastic bags.
The project started on October 1 with a workshop to present stakeholders – local governments, NGOs, teachers, representatives of healthcare institutions, sanitary services, journalists the impact of excessive usage of household plastic on the environment. After the workshop the target group of 25-30 women were selected and trained on environmental topics. Women were encouraged to pay efforts for reducing plastic shopping bags by advocating usage of cloth bags. 10 selected vulnerable women having experience of sewing made 100 cloth bags each based on the design of master modeler. 1000 bags made by them were distributed among large shops with cooperating with the project. They packed purchased goods in cloth bags free of charge. As soon as cloth shopping bags were ready, a promotional campaign was launched, including printing of posters and signage and posting in public places, near and inside shops. Leaflets appealing to use cloth bags were printed and distributed among residents. Schoolchildren were mobilized in this activity as well; TV social ad.