How a social entrepreneur from Georgia turned her personal story into a national movement for equality

Date: Thursday, 27 November 2025

Keti Tsilosani is a rural activist and founder of the Ketostan Cafe, a youth-friendly cultural hub promoting gender equality in Guria, Georgia. Forced into an early marriage as a teenager, she now leads social change and continues outreach through a mobile coffee bus amid recent civic restrictions . Photo: UNFPA/ Dina Oganova

Keti Tsilosani is a rural activist and social entrepreneur from Guria, Georgia, and the founder of Ketostan Cafe — a youth-friendly cultural hub promoting gender equality, community engagement and creative learning. Drawing on her own lived experience of early marriage, she has become a leading advocate for women’s rights and youth empowerment in rural areas. Through initiatives supported by UN Women and UNFPA under the “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence” programme, she has helped create safe spaces for women, foster community dialogue and mobilize local action against gender-based violence.

“I was only 15 when I got married. My studies stopped, my dreams were put on hold, and opportunities disappeared, but deep down, I always knew that life could not be confined within the walls of a home.” – Keti Tsilosani

In 2018, Tsilosani joined a UN Women and Taso Foundation project on women’s economic empowerment – a turning point in her life. “At the interview, surrounded by successful women, I simply said: ‘I am a mother of two children and a housewife.’ Somehow, that honesty became the start of real change.”

In 2020, she opened Ketostan Cafe - the first youth-friendly cultural hub in Lanchkhuti. What began as a small social enterprise soon grew into a vibrant space of learning, creativity and solidarity.

“We hosted poetry evenings, film screenings, trainings and music events. It became a place where young people and women could learn, dream and grow together,” she said. The cafe employed up to 10 people, including two people with disabilities, and offered many local youth their first jobs.

Under Tsilosanis’ leadership, Ketostan became a symbol of community revival - accessible to all and rooted in local culture. It was also a safe and trusted space for women and girls to meet, learn and find their voice.

As the founder of Ketostan Cafe and the Mobile Coffee Bus, Keti Tsilosani has become a leading voice for women’s rights and youth empowerment. Her initiatives have helped build safe, creative and supportive environments where women and girls can share their stories, access opportunities and challenge long-standing gender stereotypes. Photo: UNFPA/ Dina Oganova

“We held so many important events - trainings and discussions on violence prevention, gender equality, women’s rights, and leadership. These meetings were not just theoretical. They gave women practical skills, strengthened their self-esteem and helped them believe that they could and should defend their rights.” – Keti Tsilosani

One initiative, “Voices Against Violence,” led by UN Women within the “EU 4 Gender Equality” joint programme, left a lasting mark on the community.

“At first, the girls were quiet and reserved,” she said. “But after a few meetings, they began to speak up - even about harassment they had endured for years. In time, they not only shared their stories but also took action, demanding accountability.”

Their courage brought real change: following several testimonies, local authorities investigated the reports, and one teacher accused of sexual harassment was imprisoned.

Keti Tsilosani has become a driving force for community resilience in rural Georgia, turning her personal challenges into a platform for collective empowerment. Through her cultural hub and mobile initiatives, she has helped women and young people find their voice, access new opportunities and challenge silence around gender-based violence. Photo: UNFPA/ Dina Oganova

Quote “It was a difficult journey, but also a powerful reminder. When women and girls have a safe space and support, they can transform not only their lives but the entire community.” – Keti Tsilosani

In 2023, Ketostan Cafe was forced to close after the building owner refused to renew the lease. Refusing to give up, Tsilosani and her friends launched a crowdfunding campaign that raised enough money to buy two buses at auction - one turned into a cafe, the other into a mobile cultural space equipped with chairs, a projector and a small library. This is how the Mobile Coffee Bus was born - bringing coffee, conversations and community spirit to remote villages across the Guria region.

“People still say that a woman should stay at home or cannot be a leader. But in my cafe, in trainings, and now on the bus, we show every day that women can lead, create and transform communities.” – Keti Tsilosani

Through diverse initiatives, including “Youth4Social Change,” run in cooperation with UNFPA under the “EU 4 Gender Equality” programme, Tsilosani continues to challenge the deeply rooted stereotypes of rural Georgia.

This story is part of “She Changes the Norms” campaign, produced in the framework of the “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence” programme (phase 2), funded by the European Union, and implemented jointly by UN Women and UNFPA. This article was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of UN Women and UNFPA and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.