https://www.visegradfund.org/
Visegrad Friends & Neighbours Academy by Polish Women’s Strike (Poland), MENŐK (Hungary), HERA (North Macedonia) and Konsent (Czechia) transfers the concept and framework of Polish Women’s Strike’s Friends & Neighbours empowerment programme for women community leaders. Friends & Neighbours are first local contacts for women facing domestic/ sexual violence (1000+ Friends & Neighbours in Poland since 2021, in 600 localities). Trainings for programme managers in 3 countries, national pilots, a toolkit, network and social media campaign.
Project’s consortium:
OSK/ PWS – Polish Women’s Strike Foundation, Poland (Leader)OSK/ PWS – Fundacja Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobietwww: https://strajkkobiet.euFB: https://www.facebook.com/ogolnopolskistrajkkobietInsta: https://www.instagram.com/strajk_kobiet/
HERA – Association for Health Education and Research, North Macedonia (Partner)ХЕРА – Асоцијација за здравствена едукација и истражување www: https://hera.org.mk/poprechenosti/FB: https://www.facebook.com/hera.macedoniaYT: https://www.youtube.com/user/HERAMacedonia
Konsent – Czech Republic (Partner)Konsent, z.s.www: https://konsent.czFB: https://www.facebook.com/kdyztonechceInsta: https://www.instagram.com/konsent_/YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpPCTslWL5YA9IJEhbw2r_Q
MENŐK – Hungarian European Women’s Forum Association (Partner)MENŐK – Magyar Európai Nők Fóruma Egyesület, Hungarywww: https://www.menok.eu/FB: https://www.facebook.com/MENOK.EgyesuletYT: https:https://www.youtube.com/@Egyes%C3%BClet2024Men%C5%91k
In small and mid-size towns across Hungary, Czechia and North Macedonia, domestic and sexual violence against women happens also in localities where professional support infrastructure — psychologists, legal counsellors, crisis centres, shelters, specialist NGOs — is geographically or institutionally inaccessible in the first moment of crisis. The 2024 EU Gender-Based Violence Survey (Eurostat/FRA/EIGE) documents comparable patterns in Hungary and Czechia; in North Macedonia, the OSCE 2018/19 survey found that 45% of women experienced partner violence and only 2% reported it to the police. Istanbul Convention: Hungary — not ratified; Czechia — not ratified; North Macedonia — ratified 2018; Poland — ratified 2015, enforcement contested.
In every locality of Hungary, Czechia and North Macedonia there already are local women community leaders — co-workers, neighbours, women active in informal community groups — to whom other women turn first when they experience violence or crisis. These women are recognised and trusted in their communities. Relationships built on closeness, trust and knowledge of the local context make them the first point of contact and often the only realistically available source of help.
What is missing is structure: a tested methodology that organises and strengthens their existing competence; a cross-locality peer network linking these community leaders across regions; and recognition of their role within national support systems.
Polish Women’s Strike’s Friends & Neighbours empowerment programme for women community leaders is built on existing organic trust infrastructure in local communities. Trained Friends & Neighbours are first local contacts for women facing domestic/ sexual violence (1000+ Friends & Neighbours in Poland since 2021, in 600 localities).
A woman experiencing violence does not first approach a stranger; she turns to someone she has known for years — a co-worker, neighbour or friend. These local women community leaders exist in every town, by virtue of organic position in the local trust network.
The model does not compete with the professional support system: it complements the layer the system cannot reach. Professional specialists remain essential at later stages, after first contact. The methodology gives the local leader structured tools to recognise, inform, refer and accompany — strengthening her confidence and structuring her existing competence.
The project does not create Friends & Neighbours — it finds them. The mechanism of transferring the Polish Women’s Strike Friends & Neighbours methodology to Hungary, Czechia and North Macedonia rests on four pillars: (1) adapting the mapping methodology — how to recognise in a local community women who already perform this function; (2) supporting them with methodology — training, certification, materials, mentoring; (3) networking — national communities of practice and a transnational managers’ network V4-WB6; (4) recognition — naming this work, protecting against burnout. The project trains 6–9 programme managers from MENŐK, Konsent and HERA (2–3 per partner) in the methodology of designing and running a Friends & Neighbours national programme — including how to find and recruit existing community first responders.
In each partner country, the managers then run a national pilot identifying and supporting the first national cohort of 12–15 Friends & Neighbours — women who already perform this function in their towns and are recruited by partners through local networks.
The project builds the methodology, capacity and network that enable organizations in different countries to run such services on their national levels using their own specialists from local professional networks. This is a grassroots solution: it stabilises and expands a civic self-help network that serves as a bridge between survivors and the resources of professional help, which are disproportionately concentrated in the largest cities.
The project minimises environmental footprint per VF Green Recommendations and the 5R principle. Online-first delivery: only one stationary convening (Warsaw, 2 days) involves transnational travel; all other sessions online. Digital outputs: toolkit and campaign published online; no print runs. Warsaw convening: public transport, vegetarian/vegan catering (long-standing PWS practice for years), no single-use plastic, reusable name tags. All project documentation digital.
The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.