MenCare Father’s Day celebrations promote gender equality in Georgia

2017 is the second year that the MenCare campaign in Georgia celebrates Father’s Day in June. The MenCare campaign in Georgia is an initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Country Office in partnership with the non-governmental organization (NGO) We Care, implemented within the framework of the United Nations Joint Programme for Gender Equality and funded by the Government of Sweden.

The MenCare campaign’s Father’s Day celebrations in Georgia form part of a much wider effort by UNFPA to meaningfully contribute to achieving gender equality in the country. The campaign uses Father’s Day as an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of involving fathers in family life and the upbringing of their children, and to promote men’s involvement as gender-equitable, nonviolent fathers, partners, and caregivers.

This year, campaign partners organized various Father’s Day events on June 18 and 19, which were joined by representatives of government agencies, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector.

A central Father’s Day event on June 19 was organized by UNFPA and We Care in Tbilisi, in cooperation with Tbilisi City Hall, at Mziuri Park Stage. During the event, the song “Father’s Lullaby” by musician Zura Javakhia premiered. The song was created specifically for the event and was performed by Zura Javakhia together with the children from Basti-Bubu studio.

https://www.facebook.com/mencaregeorgia/videos/1597908313553911/

 

A special promotional video, featuring Georgian celebrities and MenCare participants, was made to announce the June 19 concert and to invite people to join the celebration. The video was disseminated via social media and shown in cinemas in Tbilisi on June 17-19.

https://www.facebook.com/mencaregeorgia/videos/1595367727141303/

 

A special masterclass for fathers, dedicated to Father’s Day, was hosted by Culinarium Cooking School. Active members of the MenCare campaign in Georgia, including celebrities, attended the masterclass with their children.

 

Wendy’s and Dunkin Donuts Georgia also joined the Father’s Day celebrations with special events for fathers and children.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1676323079062234.1073741931.442720649089156&type=1&l=ed5ed64fe7

 

On June 17-19, the popular restaurant chain Brotmeister hosted guests using special tablecloths for Father’s Day, which included an invitation to the concert.

https://www.facebook.com/Brotmeister.ge/photos/a.294586514257463.1073741836.217605698622212/441873302862116/

 

John Wrap, a chain of stationery and crafts stores, created a special postcard for Father’s Day. The postcard contained various phrases related to fatherhood.

https://www.facebook.com/johnwrap.ge/photos/pb.510861672381767.-2207520000.1497957033./1061000817367847/

 

Geocell, one of the biggest mobile operators in Georgia, created a special video with the participation of Geocell team members and their children. Fathers working in Geocell were given a short working day on June 19 to celebrate Father’s Day with their families. This is the first time that a corporation in Georgia has decided to give this benefit to working fathers.

https://www.facebook.com/geocell/videos/10154732792012825/

 

UNFPA, We Care, and their partner organizations reached over 300,000 individuals with messages about Father’s Day 2017 via social media.