Meet RICDOG – Ekaterine Marukashvili

For over 20 years, RICDOG has been building an example of what truly organic and grassroots civil society can look like in Georgia. Our organization governs itself like a democracy. Anyone contributing to RICDOG can join its membership, participate in the decision-making process, and rise through the ranks of our elected leadership. 

Because of this, the people leading RICDOG today are the same people who once volunteered for the organization in their youth.

One of those leaders is Ekaterine “Kato” Marukashvili. Kato served as RICDOG’s secretary general from 2017 to 2020. She now serves on RICDOG’s presidium third vice-president, and manages the organization’s finances. Kato discovered RICDOG in 2012 when she was still a student. She attended one of our early events related to environmentalism.

“The event was dedicated to raising awareness about climate change and I was one of the participants. I still remember standing outside in May wearing a huge winter coat. I had heard about RICDOG from my university lecturers, who were among the organisation’s co-founders, and it was on their recommendation that I decided to get more involved. Two months later I took part in RICDOG’s traditional camp for its members. It was there that I got to know the RICDOG team much better, and after that camp, I can hardly remember my life without RICDOG.”

Kato has helped design and conduct many of RICDOG’s non-formal civic education programs. For her, this has given her an opportunity to make a profound difference in peoples’ lives.

“My work allows me to share my experience with hundreds of young people, teach them how to become better versions of themselves, and work together with them to create positive change in our city and our country. I believe I am incredibly lucky to be an inseparable part of this extraordinary team.”

Many of RICDOG’s projects have given Kato the opportunity to step outside her comfort zone and develop her leadership and management skills. As she tells us, she is particularly proud of one project in which bicycles were installed in a public park in Kutaisi, which could generate electricity for electronic devices by pedaling.

“The goal was for people to charge their phones or other devices using the renewable energy that they generated themselves. I am proud of this project because I wanted to do something for my city. It was challenging for me because I had neither the knowledge nor the experience in this field. But I had something that helped me overcome that challenge — the RICDOG determination to never give up and to see things through to the end; the belief that I can do anything, that nothing is impossible in this world, and that when you truly know why you are doing something, that motivation gives you the strength to achieve even what seems impossible.”

Developing leaders like Kato has built up RICDOG’s strength and resilience. In the midst of a challenging time for Georgian civil society, RICDOG remains strong and active because of its dedicated foundation of members who are invested in the long term vision of the organization. That’s why it’s critically important for society to continue supporting organizations like RICDOG.

“Today, more than ever, RICDOG needs people’s conscious and meaningful support,” says Kato. “Because it is precisely in this space that extraordinary people are created and find the best version of themselves. We want to continue empowering future generations of leaders at RICDOG.”

In the coming weeks, we’ll share more stories from the people at RICDOG leading the organization forward into the future. Follow us for more.