• In war-torn societies it is important not to be limited by the clinical definition of post- traumatic stress symptoms but invoke a broad social concept that includes for con- sideration and treatment also existential stress and vulnerability factors.
Trauma support thus also includes, and may over time evolve into psychosocial support. • The authority for implementing recovery programs for women needs to be delegated to local women’s groups that have relevant knowledge about local conditions.
• Women’s centers with varied programs of trauma support and skills training are an ef- fective way to empower women and to help them overcome their traumas.
• “The centrality of paid work to women’s re- organisation of their post-war lives can not be overemphasized.”47 Different kinds of job creation programs for women need to be top priority in order to help them provide for
their families and regain their hope for the future. It also helps them promote their self- sufficiency and avoid the poverty trap.
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• Programs for “micro-credits” had not been widely dispersed among BiH women, we found, in spite of several such programs. However, there are certain built-in problems
with “micro-credits”: 1) they presuppose
that women have a business idea, which we found to be infrequent in BiH; 2) they pre- suppose that there is a functioning market where women can sell the goods they pro- duce, which is not the case in BiH; and 3) some of the programs presuppose securities that most women cannot put up. Thus, there
is a need for economic initiatives other than “micro-credits” in countries in transition from a planned to a market economy.
• As there is a marked increase in domestic violence in post-war societies, there is a need
for programs that support the victims of domestic abuse, that lobby governments for preventive actions, and that provide training for institutions to handle abuse cases.
• There is a need for information to teenage
girls and young women about the risks of lu- crative job offers in foreign countries, as trafficking is a serious problem in post-war countries.
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The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation (KtK) was initiated by Swedish women and the peace movement in Sweden in 1993. We work to sup- port women and to strengthen women’s posi- tions in areas affected by war and conflict, as well as in post-war societies in transition.
The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation adjusts its support to the social, political, and economic sit- uations in the specific country, as well as to the relevant phase (war, cease fire, or peace process). In times of conflict and early post-conflict peri- ods, emergency aid, psychosocial support, and trauma treatment have to be offered to give peo- ple a chance to start to heal and to build strength to believe in the future. Still, emergency aid has to be followed up by, and combined with, long- term support.
Women need empowerment in terms of strengthening their self-esteem, further educa- tion and job training. They also need knowledge about women’s human rights and support to be able to take part in the institution-building and in the reconstruction of a true democratic soci- ety. Working towards sustainable development, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation offers sup- port to local organisations on a long-term basis. We focus on local women’s initiatives, long-term engagement, empowerment of women, and low- key projects that start small.
We have supported initiatives such as mobile health service, women’s centres providing trau- ma support groups, study programs, job-train- ing, centres for free legal aid, women's seminars and conferences about gender issues, media pro- grams focussed on women, initiatives to extend the number of women in politics, initiatives to address problems of domestic violence and traf- ficking in women, and also initiatives about cre- ating regional networks for women NGOs in different parts of West Balkans.
The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation model is one of co-operation based on mutual respect and close working contact with local organisa- tions. We do not implement projects ourselves. Our local co-operating partners identify prob- lems and formulate measures, based on their competence and knowledge of local needs and situations. With our support they develop the project plan and the funding application. Trans- fer of know-how takes place through close and continuous contacts between our co-ordinators and the partner organisations, a process that al- so leads to transparency. As the projects are lo- cal initiatives, they are more sustainable. The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation contributes fi- nancial help, supervision, guidance, and devel- opmental and organizational support. We also serve as an important intermediary in the estab- lishment of women’s networks, on local, region- al, and international levels.
Some key concepts that guide our work are: Mutual Respect, Transfer of Know-how, Net- working, Long-term Support, Sustainable Pro- jects, Low Key, Local Focus of Control, and Transparency.
The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation also works to influence the international community in mainstreaming their activities and to intro- duce a gender perspective on peace negotiations and the peace-building/reconstruction process. For this purpose, we produce a series of reports with a gender perspective on the peace-building and reconstruction process.
We have recently started to support projects also in Israel, Palestine, and in the Caucasus region (Georgia).