CODA STORY
Our members at Coda Story have had a smashing year, scooping up awards and getting into film festivals worthy of organizations that have been around for much longer than a year. Coda is a journalism start up that puts a team of reporters on one subject at a time and explores complex issues in a way that helps readers and viewers to understand context and connections. The company is based between Tbilisi and New York and has a really innovative approach to journalism, which was recognized in a pretty big way in their very first year of existence. First Coda’s first web-series Clash of Narratives was shortlisted for several festivals including the prestigious Raindance in the United Kingdom, while another web-series Transmoskva was screened at Bok-o-Bok festival in St. Petersburg. The team managed to secure partnership and collaboration deals with a range of organizations including big names like BBC and Foreign Affairs. And to top it all, in December Coda was announced the winner of Columbia University’s Alfred L.duPont award for a radio show they produced together with Reveal. The one hour show is based on Coda’s pilot project that investigated crisis of gay rights in the former Soviet Union. DuPont awards, often dubbed “the Pulitzer of broadcast media” is one of the biggest prizes in journalism industry. We want to help Coda to continue to grow, so take a second to like them on Facebook or sign up for their own membership program.
EDUCARE GEORGIA
Our members from Educare Georgia, whose mission is to bring access to quality education via the internet and other technologies, did amazing projects this year. They adapted one of the leading free online education platforms Khan Academy to Georgian. Khan Academy is a free online learning platform with around 6,500 high quality videos, over 100,000 exercises and reading materials in different subjects. They already reached 63 000 Georgian users using the platform (1 000 000 page views).
Core.org is an online platform for learning the basics of computer programming. The platform is free and available to anyone. It is being adapted into Georgian by Educare Georgia. The platform has been already at public schools and programming clubs in 11 regions around Georgia. The Coding had more than 200 participants.
Educare Georgia also launched the Project Give Internet Charte.ge (GiveInternet.org). The project aims to supply school kids from socially vulnerable families with a working computer and an internet connection. Through the platform anyone can pay monthly internet bills and donate computers for the underprivileged high-school children. Moreover, they teach kids how to navigate the internet for educational purposes and introduce them to both Georgian and foreign online platforms that can aid them in their studies. 180 Donors, 52 Kids Connected
FORSET
ForSet is a team-oriented, socially-driven, creative enterprise specializing in data communications using design and technology. Their passion to create innovative products in Georgia and also internationally, led brought them the International Center for Journalist’s Global Fact-Checking Contest Award. On November 15-17, ForSet organized the biggest international Data event in the region – DataFest Tbilisi 2017, bringing together journalists, CSO activists, marketing specialists, business professionals, government officials, data analysts, developers and designers. Up to 40 speakers from 20 countries held 18 speeches and 37 practical workshops for up to 400 attendees from around the world, about the topics: Open Data, Data Journalism, Visualization, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, etc.
OC MEDIA – CHAIKHANA
2017 was full with prizes for Chai Khana and OC Media. Chai Khana, a creative international media platform, reaching women, rural communities, minority groups, and conflict-affected communities in the Caucasus, was awarded the EP Special Prize for Promoting Diversity Across the Caucasus. The EP Prize for best story was also given to two of Chai Khana’s freelancers in Armenia for their piece The Best of Two Worlds which highlighted the controversial issue of mixed marriages. The ICMPD prize on migration and border management within the framework of the EU-funded project “Support to Migration and Border Management in Armenia” (MIBMA), together with UNHCR Armenia awarded a special prize for Nazik Armenakyan’s piece for Chai Khana on the struggle of rural women in Armenia whose husbands leave for Russia to work and bring back HV AIDS to their families. An incredible material for Chai Khana about stigmas surrounding the people with disabilities received first prize within the framework of the “Equal Opportunities” campaign by Bridge of Hope/Հույսի կամուրջ during the 15th annual contest for the best disability themed publications. A new project by Chai Khana, OC Media received major peace prize for journalists in Georgia – EU prize in journalism; OC Media’s Editor in Chief Mari Nikuradze who depicted Muslims deprived of places of worship in Batumi, Georgia, won the main prize in Georgia’s Public Defender’s contest ‘Non- equality around us’. We are proud that OC Media successfully grew out of the Impact Hub and has become its own NGO and is branching out in 2018!
DEGUSTATE
Degustate has something to celebrate! In only one year the startup has achieved to create a great contribution to the wine industry as the first international ecommerce platform for the Georgian wine.
Degustate is actively expending the sales volume and the product portfolio. With high quality Georgian wine the company has reached over 1K monthly bottles sales in the Q4 2017, starting from 0 in Q2 2017. In addition to the organic growth, in 2017 company has also squared additional funding for 2018 that will be a significant drive for the company expansion.