It was surprisingly difficult to find this next NGO. Apparently MK and Americans have different definitions of certain words upon giving directions. After 3 phone calls and 20 minutes we were finally able to meet. It made me VERY apprehensive for the meeting, as English was the main problem in the communication in the directions. However, the meeting went decent, not great, but still very good. The NGO is trying to be very active and is actually making a difference in Macedonia.
Association HOPS (Healthy Options Project Skopje) is an NGO that works for those that society often ignores. Most of their biographical information is from a handout as they just referred me to a printout. They began in 1997 as a needle exchange center (meaning that they give out free clean needles to drug users in exchange for dirty ones no questions asked to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS/STDs) as part of the Soros Foundation. Their mission is to promote, respect and protect human rights and liberties aiming to promote health and socioeconomic status of all people, especially drug users, sex workers and other marginalized communities based on the principles of harm reduction through equal access to services, empowerment of the community, capacity building, research, analysis and advocacy. They developed different programs to serve these communities. In 2001, they began to build the capacity of programs in Strumica, Bitola and Ohrid to offer the same programs as they had in Skopje. Then in 2004, they began working with the Ministry of Health to implement activities from the National Coordinated Response to HIV/AIDS. HOPS, along with the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, opened programs in Kumanovo, Kavadarci, Stip, Ohrid and Gostivar. This grew into the Macedonian Harm Reduction Network founded in 2005 with 20 members.
While HOPS originally began working with drug users, they turned to sex workers as well in 200. Mostly to help prevent HIV/AIDS in their population and families. They offer a daily center for sex workers to go to to relax and get condoms or health care.
Currently there are 13 NGOs that are working in harm reduction with 15 needle exchange centers. The main issue is quality/availability for the population they are trying to serve. Currently they serve about 9-1,000 unique people annually. Many people come back in everyday, but they receive a special identifying number to track them so that the numbers are not incorrect. They do not have to give any specific information (like names or the MK version of social security numbers) just enough information to use the same number every day. However, you can not provide services to those who are under 18 here without a parent’s permission. So if someone tells them that they are under 18, they can not give them condoms or clean needles. But, if they say they are 18, you are allowed to treat them (even if they look younger).
There are roughly 8-10,000 “problematic” drug users in the country and roughly 50% are reached through these exchange centers. HOPS is continuing to scale up these centers as well as focus on quality care. HOPS only works with the non-stimulant drug users (such as with heroin, methadone, or cocaine).
These centers provide counseling for people who might want to get off drugs or out of the sex trade. They also can help them fill out official paperwork to receive state aid or whatever they are trying to do. (You need the state ID card in order to receive the state run health care services.) There are state run addiction clinics to help people come off of drugs, but they are only for those who are getting out of prison and they aren’t accepting any other patients as of now. HOPS is in the process of trying to set up other clinics in Skopje but no municipality wants to have that clinic near them. They do also offer services to sex workers who want to escape that life style, but they then stated “They choose to be sex workers and we can’t help them.” (Further stating that in a 30% unemployment climate, who would hire them for legitimate jobs?)
HOPS is in the process of re-structuring their services. They want to provide education in the centers, complete research about the drug problems in MK, and provide advocacy (to lobby the government to provide the services needed to fulfill people’s needs). HOPS hopes through education they can convince drug users to not make as risky decisions. They are involved in building capacities in the local government/municipalities or other NGOs often through trainings
Most of HOPS money comes from international sources, but there are some funds that are domestically based (not totally functioning). When HOPS applies internationally, they do so with the government who will then get the majority of the funds to re-distribute. There is good implementation of their services, but HOPS finds it difficult to work with the government. While HOPS is currently searching for new international donors, they will try to work more closely with the government for funding. The government provides the medication for HIV/AIDS but not for the needle exchanges. The City of Skopje, specifically center, does help with one of the exchange centers but it does cover their rent and helps to fund some creative workshops.According to HOPS, philanthropy in MK isn’t seen as intrinsically good, but even if people donate, they do not give to the marginalized. Also, neither government party wants to help. (A benefit to this, is that HOPS is never accused of being part of the government or opposition.) The government does, however, utilize the resources of HOPS when it pleases them (such as when they need data for a report).
Showing posts with label ngo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ngo. Show all posts
Monday, March 5, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Izlez- student newspaper
The next NGO I met with was not what I was expecting! It is a student run newspaper at the major university in MK- Sv. Kiril i Methodi. The newspaper is called Излез/Izlez. They were started 2 years ago, upon the founder’s return to MK from a year abroad. Her grant required her to start a project upon her return. She chose, with a few friends to start a newspaper that is critical of the educational system in MK.
They decided to focus on this because there are many problems with the educational system in MK according to the students in it. This is not the only thing the newspaper focuses on, they also do articles on then environment or other issues that students care about. The newspaper/journal promotes social activism. They will publish articles on local culture or investigative work. They aim to produce 2 issues per semester. This has created a total of 6 issues so far.
When the newspaper started there was no student run media at all (now there are 2 radio stations). People were complaining all the time, but no one was doing anything. They hoped to empower their peers and prove that students can be responsible. There are 8 people on the editorial board, who came together out of a series of meetings about how to best serve the community. (Last year there were 5 editorial board members.)
They have not only worked on the newspaper, but they have also worked on other projects. They helped to digitize the library through a grant they received. They have also donated books to their collection from a grant they recieved. They have applied to other grants, but haven’t heard back yet.
All of the funding sources that they had mentioned so far were foreign, and they stated that finding local sources is very hard. They want to try to stay independent, so that their research and comments are not taken to be one party or the other. They are afraid that if they take money form the university or government or party they will be forced to dumb-down their criticism to satisfy their donors. They want to be able to say what they find or want to say without fear of having their funding cut (a very real possibility here). They are also trying hard not to be labeled in anyway. They want to keep it independent.
Thus, they haven’t attempted to gain money or support from the government or any student organizations (the Student Government in MK is apparently very different than in the US and “un-officially” sponsored by the government.
They want to start engaging younger students as many of the original editorial board members are leaving (aka graduating). The newspaper has had positive results and responses to their reports, but to get anyone to actually take responsibility for the organization will be difficult (and has been up until this point). When they distribute the newspaper, they do so both online and in person. Sometimes leaving it around university hot spots, or physically handing it to people.
Their goals for the future are to keep the newspaper open and sustainable. They want to expand to hosting events for students. They also want to help any student that comes to them with a workshop or help in applying for a project. They really want this to become a force for the students.
They decided to focus on this because there are many problems with the educational system in MK according to the students in it. This is not the only thing the newspaper focuses on, they also do articles on then environment or other issues that students care about. The newspaper/journal promotes social activism. They will publish articles on local culture or investigative work. They aim to produce 2 issues per semester. This has created a total of 6 issues so far.
When the newspaper started there was no student run media at all (now there are 2 radio stations). People were complaining all the time, but no one was doing anything. They hoped to empower their peers and prove that students can be responsible. There are 8 people on the editorial board, who came together out of a series of meetings about how to best serve the community. (Last year there were 5 editorial board members.)
They have not only worked on the newspaper, but they have also worked on other projects. They helped to digitize the library through a grant they received. They have also donated books to their collection from a grant they recieved. They have applied to other grants, but haven’t heard back yet.
All of the funding sources that they had mentioned so far were foreign, and they stated that finding local sources is very hard. They want to try to stay independent, so that their research and comments are not taken to be one party or the other. They are afraid that if they take money form the university or government or party they will be forced to dumb-down their criticism to satisfy their donors. They want to be able to say what they find or want to say without fear of having their funding cut (a very real possibility here). They are also trying hard not to be labeled in anyway. They want to keep it independent.
Thus, they haven’t attempted to gain money or support from the government or any student organizations (the Student Government in MK is apparently very different than in the US and “un-officially” sponsored by the government.
They want to start engaging younger students as many of the original editorial board members are leaving (aka graduating). The newspaper has had positive results and responses to their reports, but to get anyone to actually take responsibility for the organization will be difficult (and has been up until this point). When they distribute the newspaper, they do so both online and in person. Sometimes leaving it around university hot spots, or physically handing it to people.
Their goals for the future are to keep the newspaper open and sustainable. They want to expand to hosting events for students. They also want to help any student that comes to them with a workshop or help in applying for a project. They really want this to become a force for the students.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
In My World
In My World, an NGO that works for children with Autism, Asperbergs, and ADHD. Their website is only in MK, by the way. They have only been registered about 10 months, and only working less than a year. But in that year, have they been busy! They have averaged about 1-2 events/month since beginning their work. They are the largest organization that works with autism. They have the largest personnel as well as the largest membership of parents and people with autism.
They are working on raising public awareness. They have applied for a 2 year grant that would raise awareness through TV commercials as well as ads online. They want people to start using the new terms and definitions. They want to help throughout MK not only in Skopje. While they think it would be too ambitious to work in all 120 cities, but they want to work near all the larger ones with outreach to the smaller ones. They are currently working with some local kindergartens that have about 1,300 children in them. They are training the teachers on how to respond to children with disabilities. They are hoping to create a workshop for ADHD that will help distribute pamphlets/brochures. They hope to create a booklet that is about 70-80 pages long.
They want schools to allow for children with disabilities and allow students with disabilities to be in regular classrooms. There are many problems, such as money, that they have to overcome to reach these goals in public schools. They work directly with the children to help them integrate into a normal classroom. (There are people that are called “Shadows” that follow the kids around all day in school and help them complete tasks. The goal is to decrease the time needed as a shadow.) Currently they try to help the children out as much as possible, but they often only have one hour a week at the child’s home. This is not enough time to make a quality difference in their life.
In addition to raising awareness in the community, they also help through service to children with these disabilities. There are problems with treatment. Early diagnosis is poor, and many parents don’t want to admit that their child might have a disability. (It is still seen as something to hide in MK.) So when parents do come in seeking help, they try to provide them with the necessary means to help their children. They inform them of the different laws that they have to follow and what services they are allowed from the state . They also inform them of the changes in any relevant laws and provide advice on what the parents can do to help their children.
While their main focus is service to the community, they also work a little in advocacy. They work with other NGOs telling them what problems they are facing in their service, allowing them to lobby more effectively. They also provide information about what works in other countries, and how MK could improve its services.
They hope to expand from their current office into a daily center for kids to come in to like a “normal” school. This center would have a physical therapy area as well as a small classroom. However, they are currently in the second floor of an office building on one of the main streets in Skopje. Their office consists of a large conference room and a few smaller offices.
They, like every other NGO, have a problem with funding. They have received a small grant from the US Embassy for help with a symposium. They are currently working in negotiations with the government to receive more funding as well as searching for international donors They have never received funding from inside of MK. (Although they have only been around for less than one year, so it might not be very representative.) They are negotiating with the government, but it is not a smooth connection. The government is trying to consider a lot. In My World has meet with a few ministers (in related areas, such as MoSLP or Health). They even have the MoSLP interested in opening a daily care center strictly for education.. With the ministry of health, they are working on finding a similar language for their communication in creating this new space. When they do try to work with the government, it varies on which level of government they try to work with. It is easy to get a hold of a minister and get a meeting with them, as long as they have space in their calendar. The problem is the results of the meeting. (Were they able to find the same language? Do they have the same agenda? Is there money in the budget?) It is even easier to set up meetings with the municipality officials, but harder to get results. Every place in the city/town has social workers but it is still a different way to find results. They were able to get a meeting with the First Lady just by asking. There is also a problem with trust in their organization since they are less than a year old. Many donors are not sure if they are a legitimate organization or just trying to gain money off sympathetic causes.
I think that this NGO will do their best to succeed and fill a gap in MK. Those with disabilities are often seen as low class in MK and they are working to help change that.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Interity Alpha Omega
This was the first meeting I had with an NGO not in their office, but for good reason. They are changing offices right now and the new one is not set up. Technically, they are still looking for new office space. They lost their last office due to an inability to pay the bills anymore because of a loss of funding. So we met over tea in a local restaurant.
Integrity Alpha Omega is a varied NGO based in Skopje. According to their website, they aim for the “creation of new opportunities for all people, for development and improvement and for education. This organization invests in people, in their capabilities, interests and in their will. The creation of strong integrity among the people, people who will be independent, fulfilled and with healthy character, is the main goal for this ngo.”
They began 4 years ago when they realized that people were complaining without doing anything about it. They constantly heard people state that “you have to be close to the parties” to receive any help from the government. They had a shared vision to face the problems that trouble society head on. When they began searching for donors and projects that interested the founders, they began to narrow down their ideas from “helping society” to their current specific focus. They focus mostly on healthy living and an active lifestyle. They believe that this is key to a successful future. As part of this, they also help with youth empowerment. When they saw that no one was challenging these kids, they wanted to help them become a better person. They also help with renovation in local schools or hospitals when it is needed. Ideally, they told me, they like to respond to the different problems they see every year.
They have completed many different projects over their four years:
They find it hard to find sponsors in MK because, they claim, many people still have the mindset of “money laundering” organizations. They try to fight this perception by being completely transparent in their use of any money they receive as well as filing timely reports with their donors. In addition, if they (or other NGOs) receive funding it might only be for the specific projects but not for overhead costs. Also, they claimed that due to their local nature it is even harder to get funding for their operational costs. They have run into positions where they are offered services or “things” instead of money for them to provide services.
When asked about the government, they said that in the beginning it was really difficult because they weren’t part of any specific political party and they wanted to keep it that way. Eventually through, according to them, their dedication to their cause and not giving in convinced the locals and government that they were here to stay. Their main issues have been with other city governments (not in Skopje) wanting a cut of the grant; specifically asking as a bribe. (Struga, however, was very supportive and easy to work with.) They haven’t received funding from the MK government, but have had numerous grants from foreign embassies. The US embassy was apparently very helpful in their beginning stage in convincing others that this NGO was important.
They were offered space in the NGO center here by the goverment, but they turned it down. The space is shared with any other NGO that wants to use it. Basically it has free internet and desks, as well as a conference room. But this is not what they were looking for, they wanted a separate space.
They do have big goals for the future. If they can get funding they want to open a day center for youth. They also want to start a program for those youth in an orphanage to provide them with the skills that they will need to live on their own after they turn 18. They want to continue the programs that they have created (such as Weekends of Change) as well as address new problems that they see. But they are currently searching for more funding in order to make these goals come true.
Integrity Alpha Omega is a varied NGO based in Skopje. According to their website, they aim for the “creation of new opportunities for all people, for development and improvement and for education. This organization invests in people, in their capabilities, interests and in their will. The creation of strong integrity among the people, people who will be independent, fulfilled and with healthy character, is the main goal for this ngo.”
They began 4 years ago when they realized that people were complaining without doing anything about it. They constantly heard people state that “you have to be close to the parties” to receive any help from the government. They had a shared vision to face the problems that trouble society head on. When they began searching for donors and projects that interested the founders, they began to narrow down their ideas from “helping society” to their current specific focus. They focus mostly on healthy living and an active lifestyle. They believe that this is key to a successful future. As part of this, they also help with youth empowerment. When they saw that no one was challenging these kids, they wanted to help them become a better person. They also help with renovation in local schools or hospitals when it is needed. Ideally, they told me, they like to respond to the different problems they see every year.
They have completed many different projects over their four years:
- Weekends of Change: They group youth of different ethnicities together to show them the common language of sports. They help form multi-ethnic clubs that are sports related over these weekends. The kids will spend time together and learn new sports together.
- Go Pink: A walk against breast cancer that they host every May
- Run Towards the Goal: A running fundraiser for different charities. They have sponsored special needs and Roma charities, and school/hospital renovations with this money.
- A triathlon in August to just get people out and about in a healthy way.
- Orphanage Sports Camps: A sports camp for those children in an orphanage. They believe that most of the time the orphans are ignored and with this camp they were able to reach out and not only empower them, but teach them more about sports!
They find it hard to find sponsors in MK because, they claim, many people still have the mindset of “money laundering” organizations. They try to fight this perception by being completely transparent in their use of any money they receive as well as filing timely reports with their donors. In addition, if they (or other NGOs) receive funding it might only be for the specific projects but not for overhead costs. Also, they claimed that due to their local nature it is even harder to get funding for their operational costs. They have run into positions where they are offered services or “things” instead of money for them to provide services.
When asked about the government, they said that in the beginning it was really difficult because they weren’t part of any specific political party and they wanted to keep it that way. Eventually through, according to them, their dedication to their cause and not giving in convinced the locals and government that they were here to stay. Their main issues have been with other city governments (not in Skopje) wanting a cut of the grant; specifically asking as a bribe. (Struga, however, was very supportive and easy to work with.) They haven’t received funding from the MK government, but have had numerous grants from foreign embassies. The US embassy was apparently very helpful in their beginning stage in convincing others that this NGO was important.
They were offered space in the NGO center here by the goverment, but they turned it down. The space is shared with any other NGO that wants to use it. Basically it has free internet and desks, as well as a conference room. But this is not what they were looking for, they wanted a separate space.
They do have big goals for the future. If they can get funding they want to open a day center for youth. They also want to start a program for those youth in an orphanage to provide them with the skills that they will need to live on their own after they turn 18. They want to continue the programs that they have created (such as Weekends of Change) as well as address new problems that they see. But they are currently searching for more funding in order to make these goals come true.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Disabilities in MK
The meeting with Polio Plus (only in MK, the EN page is not working) was a bit different than my other meetings. I recently met a Political Officer at the Embassy who has been giving me some more contacts with NGOs. She had a meeting scheduled with Polio Plus, who I had been trying to meet with for about 2 months, and invited me along. This made for some different observations and discussions that I usually had. They were more direct in asking the US government for help, specifically stating that “we” should help them lobby. At the same time, they were much more critical of the current government and their actions regarding people with disabilities than many NGOs I had visited. I was able to learn most of what I would by myself. I might try to email them a few more questions soon. As I was typing this up, I realized that I actually learned more about how disabilities are treated in MK than I did about Polio Plus, so this is more about that than the organization (thus the reason I am putting it on my travel blog and waiting to publish it on my research blog!).
They had one of the larger offices that I had seen in Skopje. The had one large office room/entry way where there were three desks and a seating area set up, then there were two smaller rooms off to the side, with a conference room in the back. We met in the conference room.
They tend to focus on policy implementation and legislative changes, rather than services to the people. They do help those who are disabled fight for their legal rights. They do provide some services, such as mediation in the labor market, providing legal advice (such as how to make complaints), and helping them write business plans.
They are mainly funded from international organizations or embassies. The funds are small for NGOs in MK especially if you are focused solely on one issue. Even further, disability is lower on the funding tier in all locations, according to Polio Plus. Disabilities have received some funds from the state, roughly 2 million Euros, but it only goes to the older Union of Disabilities that was set up by the state. In the Union of Disabilities, there are 7 separate organizations that provide services to the disabled. The regulations, however, are from the Yugoslav era. The funding also only goes to the traditional organizations that use the medical approach.
Like in the US and elsewhere, disabilities still face harsh discrimination. Although in MK people with disabilities are almost all treated as if they are “crazy” or “have something wrong” or “aren’t normal and need to be excluded from daily life.” There is a law on discrimination that, according to Polio Plus, is actually discriminatory. In order to be hired as a manager or someone above the bottom level of employment, you have to be tested if you have a disability. The person with a disability, be it mental or physical, has to prove that they are mentally capable by going to a medical commission that examines their ability to work. All people with a disability are grouped together, in the guise of protecting those with mental disabilities.
There is no “gate-keeping” for disability status in MK. Almost any one can be declared disabled. The government then provides a subsidy for the disability (roughly 7,000 MKD/month minimum[$150]). However, with all of the “extras” that people might qualify for, they could end up getting 15-16,000 MKD/month [$318-340]. This is a decent salary in MK, and thus provides no incentive for them to go out and search for work on their own, especially if they are employed at all (even part time), they only get the lower 7,000 plus their salary.
Polio Plus submitted the first (and only so far) Citizen’s Initiative law to the MK parliament. It was essentially a law to retrofit all building to make them handicapped accessible. In order to do this, you have to get 10,000 signatures. To get these, you can’t just sign them with a notary, oh no, you have to go into your local governmental office with an official register and sign there after proving that you are who you say you are. They submitted this law a while ago, but there has been no movement on it in the Parliament. The word is that this law would be too expensive to implement, so they aren’t voting on it.
In the years that Polio Plus has been around (12), there has been a change in the attitudes of people towards those with disabilities, but it is slim to none. The example they gave, is that if in 1991 those with disabilities were considered at step 1 to the rest of society being at step 5, now they are at 5 while the rest of society is at 10.They were trying to show that while changes have been made, those with disabilities are still the last considered group of people. Many people here do not have a creative mentality, and they believe that change is taking too long to occur. While many work to solve the issues that people with disabilities face, no real progress is being made. There has been a shift from institutionalization to community based care, but not enough of one.
They claimed that almost no one is motivated to learn to work with those with disabilities because it takes too much work. There is some training available, but mostly it is in the medical approach. (which is a way of thinking about “what they can NOT do” rather than what the CAN do. According to BFI’s educational resources, the medical approach sees the disabled people as the problem. That the people who are disabled need to be adapted to fit in the world as it is, and if this isn’t possible, they need to be hidden. I had to look this up as I was not quite sure what she meant by the medical approach).
They have tried to work closely with different Members of Parliament, and different governmental bodies, but the others often do not want to work with those with disabilities (they don’t make as good of a picture story). Polio Plus isn’t sure how to change the system. They have to be extra cautious on how they try to change things.
There is also a group of companies called “Shelter Companies” (this lead to a bit of miscommunication in the beginning of the description), because they “shelter” those who are disabled. In these companies they must meet a few regulations: have a minimum of 10 people working, with 4 of them with disabilities. They must also keep the people with disabilities employed for 3 years, and in the second company where the person is hired, they have to be employed for 5 years. They get the following benefits as a way of getting companies to hire more people with disabilities:
The companies can request this after 9 months of employing the people with disabilities. Mainly the companies in graphics and printing take advantage of this program. However, there is a large scale abuse in this program. There is a commission that has to determine if you meet the standards for receiving this aid, and it is staffed by those who are connected. They often run the companies that are already receiving this aid and therefore have no desire to allow more companies into this special tax zone.
They had one of the larger offices that I had seen in Skopje. The had one large office room/entry way where there were three desks and a seating area set up, then there were two smaller rooms off to the side, with a conference room in the back. We met in the conference room.
They tend to focus on policy implementation and legislative changes, rather than services to the people. They do help those who are disabled fight for their legal rights. They do provide some services, such as mediation in the labor market, providing legal advice (such as how to make complaints), and helping them write business plans.
They are mainly funded from international organizations or embassies. The funds are small for NGOs in MK especially if you are focused solely on one issue. Even further, disability is lower on the funding tier in all locations, according to Polio Plus. Disabilities have received some funds from the state, roughly 2 million Euros, but it only goes to the older Union of Disabilities that was set up by the state. In the Union of Disabilities, there are 7 separate organizations that provide services to the disabled. The regulations, however, are from the Yugoslav era. The funding also only goes to the traditional organizations that use the medical approach.
Like in the US and elsewhere, disabilities still face harsh discrimination. Although in MK people with disabilities are almost all treated as if they are “crazy” or “have something wrong” or “aren’t normal and need to be excluded from daily life.” There is a law on discrimination that, according to Polio Plus, is actually discriminatory. In order to be hired as a manager or someone above the bottom level of employment, you have to be tested if you have a disability. The person with a disability, be it mental or physical, has to prove that they are mentally capable by going to a medical commission that examines their ability to work. All people with a disability are grouped together, in the guise of protecting those with mental disabilities.
There is no “gate-keeping” for disability status in MK. Almost any one can be declared disabled. The government then provides a subsidy for the disability (roughly 7,000 MKD/month minimum[$150]). However, with all of the “extras” that people might qualify for, they could end up getting 15-16,000 MKD/month [$318-340]. This is a decent salary in MK, and thus provides no incentive for them to go out and search for work on their own, especially if they are employed at all (even part time), they only get the lower 7,000 plus their salary.
Polio Plus submitted the first (and only so far) Citizen’s Initiative law to the MK parliament. It was essentially a law to retrofit all building to make them handicapped accessible. In order to do this, you have to get 10,000 signatures. To get these, you can’t just sign them with a notary, oh no, you have to go into your local governmental office with an official register and sign there after proving that you are who you say you are. They submitted this law a while ago, but there has been no movement on it in the Parliament. The word is that this law would be too expensive to implement, so they aren’t voting on it.
In the years that Polio Plus has been around (12), there has been a change in the attitudes of people towards those with disabilities, but it is slim to none. The example they gave, is that if in 1991 those with disabilities were considered at step 1 to the rest of society being at step 5, now they are at 5 while the rest of society is at 10.They were trying to show that while changes have been made, those with disabilities are still the last considered group of people. Many people here do not have a creative mentality, and they believe that change is taking too long to occur. While many work to solve the issues that people with disabilities face, no real progress is being made. There has been a shift from institutionalization to community based care, but not enough of one.
They claimed that almost no one is motivated to learn to work with those with disabilities because it takes too much work. There is some training available, but mostly it is in the medical approach. (which is a way of thinking about “what they can NOT do” rather than what the CAN do. According to BFI’s educational resources, the medical approach sees the disabled people as the problem. That the people who are disabled need to be adapted to fit in the world as it is, and if this isn’t possible, they need to be hidden. I had to look this up as I was not quite sure what she meant by the medical approach).
They have tried to work closely with different Members of Parliament, and different governmental bodies, but the others often do not want to work with those with disabilities (they don’t make as good of a picture story). Polio Plus isn’t sure how to change the system. They have to be extra cautious on how they try to change things.
There is also a group of companies called “Shelter Companies” (this lead to a bit of miscommunication in the beginning of the description), because they “shelter” those who are disabled. In these companies they must meet a few regulations: have a minimum of 10 people working, with 4 of them with disabilities. They must also keep the people with disabilities employed for 3 years, and in the second company where the person is hired, they have to be employed for 5 years. They get the following benefits as a way of getting companies to hire more people with disabilities:
- they don’t have to pay taxes for any of the people working for them
- The state can pay between 20-100% of the salaries in the form of a grant (less common)
- The companies do not pay the profit taxes.
- The customs fees are free
- they get reimbursed for 10,000 MKD for equipment.
- The social packages are covered by the government for all workers
The companies can request this after 9 months of employing the people with disabilities. Mainly the companies in graphics and printing take advantage of this program. However, there is a large scale abuse in this program. There is a commission that has to determine if you meet the standards for receiving this aid, and it is staffed by those who are connected. They often run the companies that are already receiving this aid and therefore have no desire to allow more companies into this special tax zone.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
All 4 Fair Trials
Back in Skopje, after a few weeks off from interviews, but working on writing the blog post you have been (enjoying) reading, I meet with All 4 Fair Trials. They are located in Skopje, right in the heart of downtown.
They were founded in 2003 as a coalition of NGOs across the country to fight corruption simply by observing and reporting. Their main activity is to monitor the courts, and see how well they follow procedure in prosecuting cases. They focus on the corruption in courts. As part of this observation, they have a sub focus on journalistic cases that focus on defamation and libel. They also have some other smaller projects.
At their own offices, there are currently 10 people who mostly have a law background. One has a sociological background, as well as a webmaster. The Coalition also has an executive board of 7 people.
Their funding mostly comes through foreign donations. (The US Embassy is the most stable funding source). They get some money from the MK government, but it was only for the trafficking case. It was the small (their word) amount of $7,000.
When asked if they work with the government, they stated that they do not work closely, due to their monitoring procedures. If they do work with some form of government, it is usually with judges or prosecutors who are active in the courtroom. They organize workshops for the people involved in court cases (not those being prosecuted.) They invite experts to lecture about international experience related to the law.
Since I do not know anything about the corruption or how bad it is in Macedonia, I asked them about corruption. They stated that after ethnic problems, corruption is the main problem. Especially for democracy, because corruption is deeply routed in all aspects of MK life. They gave examples of the emergency room, court, education, or university. All 4 Fair Trials follows all cases with a high level of possibility of corruption. They try to see how correctly the laws are followed.
They have 55 people who monitor cases on a voluntary basis. There is a questionnaire so that the monitoring is similar all across the country. They follow cases from day one in court to the final judgement. They specifically follow the case: what do the lawyers say? What are the other’s reactions? There are 75 questions to work with. They will then analyze the data and produce a report about the cases. They are currently producing a report on last year.
They (along with a lot of other NGOs) have given me some materials to read. If I have time (and I really hope I have time) I want to read these materials and analyze them for you all/myself.
They were founded in 2003 as a coalition of NGOs across the country to fight corruption simply by observing and reporting. Their main activity is to monitor the courts, and see how well they follow procedure in prosecuting cases. They focus on the corruption in courts. As part of this observation, they have a sub focus on journalistic cases that focus on defamation and libel. They also have some other smaller projects.
At their own offices, there are currently 10 people who mostly have a law background. One has a sociological background, as well as a webmaster. The Coalition also has an executive board of 7 people.
Their funding mostly comes through foreign donations. (The US Embassy is the most stable funding source). They get some money from the MK government, but it was only for the trafficking case. It was the small (their word) amount of $7,000.
When asked if they work with the government, they stated that they do not work closely, due to their monitoring procedures. If they do work with some form of government, it is usually with judges or prosecutors who are active in the courtroom. They organize workshops for the people involved in court cases (not those being prosecuted.) They invite experts to lecture about international experience related to the law.
Since I do not know anything about the corruption or how bad it is in Macedonia, I asked them about corruption. They stated that after ethnic problems, corruption is the main problem. Especially for democracy, because corruption is deeply routed in all aspects of MK life. They gave examples of the emergency room, court, education, or university. All 4 Fair Trials follows all cases with a high level of possibility of corruption. They try to see how correctly the laws are followed.
They have 55 people who monitor cases on a voluntary basis. There is a questionnaire so that the monitoring is similar all across the country. They follow cases from day one in court to the final judgement. They specifically follow the case: what do the lawyers say? What are the other’s reactions? There are 75 questions to work with. They will then analyze the data and produce a report about the cases. They are currently producing a report on last year.
They (along with a lot of other NGOs) have given me some materials to read. If I have time (and I really hope I have time) I want to read these materials and analyze them for you all/myself.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Sfera, Voluntary Fire Fighters Association in Bitola
Bitola is a mid-sized town in southern MK about 10 km from the Greek border about three hours away by bus. I had arranged two interviews with NGOs there, so I spent the night before at Lizze’s (ETA Fulbright) who lives there.
Sefera Bitola is a voluntary firefighter organisation, the first of it’s kind in MK(others are in St. Nikola and ‘Polila’). They were formed in May of 2007 as a project started in another NGO in Bitola. It was the student’s intuitive to form a volunteer firefighting force to help spread awareness about fire prevention. They applied to foreign grants to make the youth fire brigade, and were granted the funds. In 2009, they separated from the original NGO and formed their own. They have partnerships with organizations in Sweden, Finland and Bosnia.
Sfera focuses more on the theory than the practical fighting of fires. They offer trainings in elementary schools about how kids should respond to a fire in their house or school. They have a (really cool-personal bias) new program for training in schools. They go in one week and pass out handouts about earthquakes, fires, etc and provide a “what to do training” for the kids and teachers. Then a few days later they go back in. But this time with fog machines- and do a fake fire “drill” complete with alarms and “smoke!” They say that even though the teachers know it is coming, some still freak out. However, in the first attempt of this sort they evacuated 450 students in 5 minutes! They call this a great success!They plan to do this in every high school in Bitola soon.
While there is teaching on fire safety, there are no free alarms. In fact, when Sfera tried to order a fire alarm it took them 3 months to find where you could buy one in Bitola. Alarms are not in hotels or shopping centers.
They have 110 members that have passed the basic fire training. They train with professional firefighters on fighting fires. Sfera and the professional fighters have an agreement to share equipment for training activities. When Sfera gets new equipment, they donate it to the professionals and then are able to use it when needed (if the professional aren’t using it at the moment). Sometimes they do go with the professionals to fight fires on the mountains, if they are 20 and up. (side note-- you have to be 18 to join the professional association.)
They also provide training on leadership development and democracy, since firefighter must lead. Their main training is a 2-3 day seminar with monthly followup meetings that they try to hold 2 times per year. Some of what they teach are the different styles of leadership. They also work with the Red Cross for first aid training.
They work with EVS, as both a sending and receiving location. They have gotten 4 volunteers and sent 5 outside of MK. They also participate in youth exchanges and trainings. The exchanges are more like camps, however, where people stay for either 6 or 14 days. There are a few regulations, but they are not strenuous. Sfera themselves, have put on 11 trainings in the past two months!
They are currently making a comic strip for kids that they will print in color to hand out. They will publish in both Macedonian and English, for now. On the local level, they promote volunteering and youth mobilization. They want to inspire the youth to mobilize around things they care about. They also help young artists put on shows. Recently they have done it for a singer and a painter.
They have also started a new project that helps raise money for a charity fund for young children with life threatening diseases (such as cancer). They help with providing free or reduced prices in surgery. Over 7,000 people attended their first charity concert for the fund. They are planning 2 other concerts now. They also raise money by completing Cocktails4Charity, with different VIPs from Bitola.
In the Bitola Summer Festival, which is for cultural events, NGOs can help sponsor/put on an event. They are allowed to last between 1-3 days, and are fully sponsored by the local government. The goal is to connect citizens to culture and let them enjoy some leisure time. The municipality provides projectors, help organizing the events, and advertising. But only 3-5 NGOs apply. Sfera has cooperation with other NGOs in Bitola. They help preform a street theater, presentations on EVS, Peace Corps, and even flash mobs!
However, when discussing cooperation with the government, they have none with the national government. The municipality, however, is a different story. The municipality helps them out with about 10% of the time, such as when using the trucks (for fuel and water) or supplies.
The municipality does have a fund for NGOs, but it is split equally between all who apply. There are 136 registered NGOs in Bitola, but, according to Sfera, only about 8 actually function- but they all apply in February! Sfera and a few others are trying to show that the others are not actually working. The fund, upon being split comes to about 350 Euros yearly. But Sfera pointed out that it would be about 13, 500 Euros if it was split between those who actually worked.
Sfera’s yearly budget comes from the following sources: 90% EU and their partners, 2% sponsors, 8% Macedonia. It is really hard for them to find a sponsor in Bitola, as most of the companies are located in Skopje. There are 5 companies that regularly help the NGOs in MK, but they are still mainly located in Skopje.
Sfera is hopeful for the future and believe they will continue to make a positive impact in Bitola.
Sefera Bitola is a voluntary firefighter organisation, the first of it’s kind in MK(others are in St. Nikola and ‘Polila’). They were formed in May of 2007 as a project started in another NGO in Bitola. It was the student’s intuitive to form a volunteer firefighting force to help spread awareness about fire prevention. They applied to foreign grants to make the youth fire brigade, and were granted the funds. In 2009, they separated from the original NGO and formed their own. They have partnerships with organizations in Sweden, Finland and Bosnia.
Sfera focuses more on the theory than the practical fighting of fires. They offer trainings in elementary schools about how kids should respond to a fire in their house or school. They have a (really cool-personal bias) new program for training in schools. They go in one week and pass out handouts about earthquakes, fires, etc and provide a “what to do training” for the kids and teachers. Then a few days later they go back in. But this time with fog machines- and do a fake fire “drill” complete with alarms and “smoke!” They say that even though the teachers know it is coming, some still freak out. However, in the first attempt of this sort they evacuated 450 students in 5 minutes! They call this a great success!They plan to do this in every high school in Bitola soon.
While there is teaching on fire safety, there are no free alarms. In fact, when Sfera tried to order a fire alarm it took them 3 months to find where you could buy one in Bitola. Alarms are not in hotels or shopping centers.
They have 110 members that have passed the basic fire training. They train with professional firefighters on fighting fires. Sfera and the professional fighters have an agreement to share equipment for training activities. When Sfera gets new equipment, they donate it to the professionals and then are able to use it when needed (if the professional aren’t using it at the moment). Sometimes they do go with the professionals to fight fires on the mountains, if they are 20 and up. (side note-- you have to be 18 to join the professional association.)
They also provide training on leadership development and democracy, since firefighter must lead. Their main training is a 2-3 day seminar with monthly followup meetings that they try to hold 2 times per year. Some of what they teach are the different styles of leadership. They also work with the Red Cross for first aid training.
They work with EVS, as both a sending and receiving location. They have gotten 4 volunteers and sent 5 outside of MK. They also participate in youth exchanges and trainings. The exchanges are more like camps, however, where people stay for either 6 or 14 days. There are a few regulations, but they are not strenuous. Sfera themselves, have put on 11 trainings in the past two months!
They are currently making a comic strip for kids that they will print in color to hand out. They will publish in both Macedonian and English, for now. On the local level, they promote volunteering and youth mobilization. They want to inspire the youth to mobilize around things they care about. They also help young artists put on shows. Recently they have done it for a singer and a painter.
They have also started a new project that helps raise money for a charity fund for young children with life threatening diseases (such as cancer). They help with providing free or reduced prices in surgery. Over 7,000 people attended their first charity concert for the fund. They are planning 2 other concerts now. They also raise money by completing Cocktails4Charity, with different VIPs from Bitola.
In the Bitola Summer Festival, which is for cultural events, NGOs can help sponsor/put on an event. They are allowed to last between 1-3 days, and are fully sponsored by the local government. The goal is to connect citizens to culture and let them enjoy some leisure time. The municipality provides projectors, help organizing the events, and advertising. But only 3-5 NGOs apply. Sfera has cooperation with other NGOs in Bitola. They help preform a street theater, presentations on EVS, Peace Corps, and even flash mobs!
However, when discussing cooperation with the government, they have none with the national government. The municipality, however, is a different story. The municipality helps them out with about 10% of the time, such as when using the trucks (for fuel and water) or supplies.
The municipality does have a fund for NGOs, but it is split equally between all who apply. There are 136 registered NGOs in Bitola, but, according to Sfera, only about 8 actually function- but they all apply in February! Sfera and a few others are trying to show that the others are not actually working. The fund, upon being split comes to about 350 Euros yearly. But Sfera pointed out that it would be about 13, 500 Euros if it was split between those who actually worked.
Sfera’s yearly budget comes from the following sources: 90% EU and their partners, 2% sponsors, 8% Macedonia. It is really hard for them to find a sponsor in Bitola, as most of the companies are located in Skopje. There are 5 companies that regularly help the NGOs in MK, but they are still mainly located in Skopje.
Sfera is hopeful for the future and believe they will continue to make a positive impact in Bitola.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Regional Center For Sustainable Development Kratovo
I had a bit of trouble meeting with this NGO- but for once it was me and not them! I confirmed the meeting with them on a Thursday for a Friday meeting. I had been fighting a cold for a while, but on Friday morning when I woke up I couldn’t even get out of bed. Like I got up and started to get dress and felt like I had been awake for 30 hours straight doing hard labor. I texted them and sent an email saying I couldn’t make it. Sadly they still showed up to meet me at the bus, but we were able to rearrange my visit to them until later. I felt so bad, but there was just nothing I could do! That whole weekend was literally spent laying in bed or on the couch drinking sprite!
The mysterious NGO is the Regional Center for Sustainable Development (RCSD) in Kratovo. Kratovo is about a 2 our bus ride away from Skopje towards Bulgaria. They met me at the bus station and we walked through the town on our way to their NGO’s building. They had the second floor of a building, with a restaurant on the first floor. Their office had a storage room, bathroom, small office with computers in it, large boardroom connected to an office room. Their walls had tons of posters on it from various campaigns they had participated in in the past. Most of their furniture had “Donated by the EU” on it.
RCSD is a result of an EU project, rather than grassroots support (which they also have). They were established in 2003; until 2006 they were the NGO support center in the region. They were part of a project that helped to open 8 other NGO support centers. When they became their own NGO, they focused on social and economic fragility. They established their NGO as a way of providing sustainability to the region. In their position as a support center, they keep abreast of the most recent changes in NGO law, which happens often- they advice other NGOs on the changes. While they act as a support center for other NGOs, they have the same status as any other NGO and fight for the same funding as the other NGOs. They offer their office up for free to use for meetings or access to the internet. Currently they have three paid staff and three volunteers. They are a part of several national and international organisations with different but compatible goals, mostly in support of quality youth laws.
They work towards sustainable development in MK. They want to have a better social and economic integration in Kratovo. This NGO tries to help make Kratovo more developed, while gaining more perspective on the national level. They are also trying to make the local government function more as a “good governance” partner. They are working with the government to make their actions more transparent and accountable towards the local community. They also work with minority groups, such as the Roma community, to help them get their voice out.
They provide trainings for public institutions and the community. When they train the community they do so because often the public is uninformed about how the government works. This way citizens can know how to best maximize their contact with the government- especially to gain better access to their services. They cover 4 municipalities and about 180 NGOs. They help people learn how to establish an NGO, strategically plan, finance, and budget for an NGO as well as project management. They do this through about 30 trainings a year. The Regional Center wants the government and private companies to be more energy efficient. Not only is this more economically, they claim, but also allows a more efficient use of taxpayer money. They are advocating for the government to create an annual energy efficiency plan; they are helping the government better understand the reasons.
They also support a youth club, in its infancy, that is focused on building the capacity of the youth. Allowing them to learn how to advocate on all issues that are important to them. They hope to grow leaders who will have developed quality work towards the youth. They focus on areas that the local youth is concerned with: training for debates (such as in a model EU), how EU policies are implemented and able to raise their voices for issues relevant to them.
They also are trying to expand the tourism base in Kratovo. Their city is known for many old buildings and a specific style of architecture that is not found elsewhere in MK. However, since they are 22 hours outside of Skopje, and they are not well advertised, no one comes. Therefore they are trying to develop sustainable tourism. They want a long term plan to draw tourists to the area. Tourism, they claim, will also provide better integration and strengthen the capacity to provide social development in the region.
In relation to both the local and national governments, they like most others, have tried to work with the national, but have had more success in the local environment. The national government cooperates when they need help but never the other way around. The national government might help in any way that doesn’t involve money, such as providing training. RCSD doesn’t feel that this is helpful cooperation nor do they count it as being supportive. When it doesn’t cost them any money, time or people, the national government will help. They will provide space, such as what they did with the local children’s park that was recently built. The national government might help with some form of money, but this is extremely rare. The government claims that they no longer have the time, but RCSD believes it is because they do not find it important. The RCSD completed all of their trainings and provided suggestions to the government.They completed all of their responsibilities to the government and received no support. The government claims there are other responsibilities.
There is a part of the budget set aside for NGOs, roughly 400,000 MKD ($8,480). They stated that the NGOs that receive the funding are often the newly formed national government/party related. Or the same ones get the grants every year. They have never received money from the MK government. As part of a way to raise money, they teach French, Spanish, and Italian to local students. They also provide other services that they charge a small fee for. But most of their money is from international donors.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After our meeting in their office, we went to a local school in Rankovce. They met up with some trainers who were going to be presenting on energy efficiency to a group of kids. Every class sent a representative to the presentation. Then, after the presentation to the children, they made one to the teachers. There were less teachers there than there should have been due to a “emergency” meeting. Both sets of trainers suggested that it was politics rather than an emergency for the meeting.
The trainers who showed up from Skopje were a part of another NGO (who I have been trying to meet with to no avail). They did most of the presentation to the children, while RCSD did most of the presentation to the adults. The trainer for the kids had an amazing personality. And I felt super good about it because I could understand most of the presentation.
The children were pretty attentive during her presentation. They used a powerpoint and handed out comic books. they also had some things that they hung up around the classroom and just for the presentation. The presentation was on how to use energy efficiently and the different types of places we can get energy from in the world (water, sun, wind, gas, coal, waste). My favorite line of the whole day was “Енергетски ресрси виза за зелена иднина!“ “‘Renewable Energy is the visa for a green future!”
See my travel blog for the travel part of this trip.
The mysterious NGO is the Regional Center for Sustainable Development (RCSD) in Kratovo. Kratovo is about a 2 our bus ride away from Skopje towards Bulgaria. They met me at the bus station and we walked through the town on our way to their NGO’s building. They had the second floor of a building, with a restaurant on the first floor. Their office had a storage room, bathroom, small office with computers in it, large boardroom connected to an office room. Their walls had tons of posters on it from various campaigns they had participated in in the past. Most of their furniture had “Donated by the EU” on it.
RCSD is a result of an EU project, rather than grassroots support (which they also have). They were established in 2003; until 2006 they were the NGO support center in the region. They were part of a project that helped to open 8 other NGO support centers. When they became their own NGO, they focused on social and economic fragility. They established their NGO as a way of providing sustainability to the region. In their position as a support center, they keep abreast of the most recent changes in NGO law, which happens often- they advice other NGOs on the changes. While they act as a support center for other NGOs, they have the same status as any other NGO and fight for the same funding as the other NGOs. They offer their office up for free to use for meetings or access to the internet. Currently they have three paid staff and three volunteers. They are a part of several national and international organisations with different but compatible goals, mostly in support of quality youth laws.
They work towards sustainable development in MK. They want to have a better social and economic integration in Kratovo. This NGO tries to help make Kratovo more developed, while gaining more perspective on the national level. They are also trying to make the local government function more as a “good governance” partner. They are working with the government to make their actions more transparent and accountable towards the local community. They also work with minority groups, such as the Roma community, to help them get their voice out.
They provide trainings for public institutions and the community. When they train the community they do so because often the public is uninformed about how the government works. This way citizens can know how to best maximize their contact with the government- especially to gain better access to their services. They cover 4 municipalities and about 180 NGOs. They help people learn how to establish an NGO, strategically plan, finance, and budget for an NGO as well as project management. They do this through about 30 trainings a year. The Regional Center wants the government and private companies to be more energy efficient. Not only is this more economically, they claim, but also allows a more efficient use of taxpayer money. They are advocating for the government to create an annual energy efficiency plan; they are helping the government better understand the reasons.
They also support a youth club, in its infancy, that is focused on building the capacity of the youth. Allowing them to learn how to advocate on all issues that are important to them. They hope to grow leaders who will have developed quality work towards the youth. They focus on areas that the local youth is concerned with: training for debates (such as in a model EU), how EU policies are implemented and able to raise their voices for issues relevant to them.
They also are trying to expand the tourism base in Kratovo. Their city is known for many old buildings and a specific style of architecture that is not found elsewhere in MK. However, since they are 22 hours outside of Skopje, and they are not well advertised, no one comes. Therefore they are trying to develop sustainable tourism. They want a long term plan to draw tourists to the area. Tourism, they claim, will also provide better integration and strengthen the capacity to provide social development in the region.
In relation to both the local and national governments, they like most others, have tried to work with the national, but have had more success in the local environment. The national government cooperates when they need help but never the other way around. The national government might help in any way that doesn’t involve money, such as providing training. RCSD doesn’t feel that this is helpful cooperation nor do they count it as being supportive. When it doesn’t cost them any money, time or people, the national government will help. They will provide space, such as what they did with the local children’s park that was recently built. The national government might help with some form of money, but this is extremely rare. The government claims that they no longer have the time, but RCSD believes it is because they do not find it important. The RCSD completed all of their trainings and provided suggestions to the government.They completed all of their responsibilities to the government and received no support. The government claims there are other responsibilities.
There is a part of the budget set aside for NGOs, roughly 400,000 MKD ($8,480). They stated that the NGOs that receive the funding are often the newly formed national government/party related. Or the same ones get the grants every year. They have never received money from the MK government. As part of a way to raise money, they teach French, Spanish, and Italian to local students. They also provide other services that they charge a small fee for. But most of their money is from international donors.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After our meeting in their office, we went to a local school in Rankovce. They met up with some trainers who were going to be presenting on energy efficiency to a group of kids. Every class sent a representative to the presentation. Then, after the presentation to the children, they made one to the teachers. There were less teachers there than there should have been due to a “emergency” meeting. Both sets of trainers suggested that it was politics rather than an emergency for the meeting.
The trainers who showed up from Skopje were a part of another NGO (who I have been trying to meet with to no avail). They did most of the presentation to the children, while RCSD did most of the presentation to the adults. The trainer for the kids had an amazing personality. And I felt super good about it because I could understand most of the presentation.
The children were pretty attentive during her presentation. They used a powerpoint and handed out comic books. they also had some things that they hung up around the classroom and just for the presentation. The presentation was on how to use energy efficiently and the different types of places we can get energy from in the world (water, sun, wind, gas, coal, waste). My favorite line of the whole day was “Енергетски ресрси виза за зелена иднина!“ “‘Renewable Energy is the visa for a green future!”
See my travel blog for the travel part of this trip.
Friday, December 23, 2011
ESEM (Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women of Republic of Macedonia)
was really hoping to meet with this next NGO, I had found one of their publications while I was in the US and it was amazingly informative! So, I was very disappointed when I didn’t hear from them for over a month, and then when I called them to ask about the email, they stated “Yes, we got the email.” Nothing else. However, they did agree to set up a meeting with in 48 hours.
This was Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women of Republic of Macedonia (ESEM). Their office is located right off the main square in an apartment building, like every office seems to be here. When you walk in, you find a reception area, conference room, and 2-3 offices (I am not sure, because I walked directly into the conference room and was not given a tour). There was a built in bookshelf to one side of the conference room, totally filled with books. The table was littered with tons of papers, obviously mid thought. There was also a TV on, which was kept on through the interview.
ESEM was formed in 1985. This period was the initialization of civil society in MK. They were helped with aid from a Dutch Development Agency. Their initial focus was on assessing and addressing the urgent needs of women. They have moved into a new area recently on women’s health. But they do focus on violence against women and women’s human rights (monitor quality implementation of treaty). They then are able to report to the UN on their findings. They claim they have the ability to improve certain issues, parallel to the EU progress reports. They have a highly structured organizational framework. There is a small set of employed staff. Any external professionals they have are contracted employees. They use their partner institutions to implement their different activities. ESEM uses all of their resources to lobby and advocate for women. If the current changes work, they will advocate for even more changes.
This was Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women of Republic of Macedonia (ESEM). Their office is located right off the main square in an apartment building, like every office seems to be here. When you walk in, you find a reception area, conference room, and 2-3 offices (I am not sure, because I walked directly into the conference room and was not given a tour). There was a built in bookshelf to one side of the conference room, totally filled with books. The table was littered with tons of papers, obviously mid thought. There was also a TV on, which was kept on through the interview.
ESEM focuses on women and equal opportunities They try to make sure that MK and EU standards are aligned. This is difficult because there is no EU standard, every country has a different standard. In MK there is a draft law on equality by the opposition, but it is mostly for general discrimination which is a “defocus” (not positive, but will strengthen the general system). There is no systematic approach to gender equality.
ESEM was formed in 1985. This period was the initialization of civil society in MK. They were helped with aid from a Dutch Development Agency. Their initial focus was on assessing and addressing the urgent needs of women. They have moved into a new area recently on women’s health. But they do focus on violence against women and women’s human rights (monitor quality implementation of treaty). They then are able to report to the UN on their findings. They claim they have the ability to improve certain issues, parallel to the EU progress reports. They have a highly structured organizational framework. There is a small set of employed staff. Any external professionals they have are contracted employees. They use their partner institutions to implement their different activities. ESEM uses all of their resources to lobby and advocate for women. If the current changes work, they will advocate for even more changes.
They maintain legal centers with direct serves. They also have a health info center where they provide advice on health issues. The health center gives them direct access to women who they can communicate. In the last 2-3 years, they have begun to develop budget monitoring in the health sector. Initially they focused on Roma health, but then switched to domestic violence. ESEM has office hours and phone numbers that people can call to find out about services for women (be it domestic violence or health related).ESEM provides services 2 days per week in the afternoon. They offer legal aid and pro-bono court representation when needed. This shows that people are turning to civil society for help; there is a small positive image.
While most of the civil society is really developed, there needs to be certain amount of cooperation between the government and said civil society. The civil society sector has the capacity, history, and potential but they are not used to help society. NGOs are often treated as enemies of the state, since they often monitor the government and act as a watchdog. This even goes are far as the government proclaiming that NGOs are essentially the opposition. Roughly 10,000 NGOs are registered in MK, which ESEM sees as a clear indicator that something is going on. Yet, ESEM believes that citizens see the sector as merely a way to get rich or, rarer, to contribute to society. ESEM theorized that the negative public perception of NGOs came from people who were willing to misuse the funds. Some organizations were used politically, and this contributed as well . There is an Awful perception of the left leaning Open Society Institute, which further negatively effects the rest of the civil society because they often the scape-goat of the government. Since ESEM can’t avoid this type of labeling, they ignore it.
When asked about the cooperation between NGOs and the government, ESEM responded that it depends on the ruling party and then who is specifically in power. NGOs are treated as the enemy and the government thinks NGOs are trying to usurp the government. Any cooperation between the government and NGOs is initiated by the NGOs, ESEM claims; you will rarely find honest cooperation initiated by the government. Often, they further claim, when NGOs have begun the cooperation, government employees often think that it is supposed to be a one way cooperation (NGO to the government) rather than a two way street. While ESEM could think of some examples of good cooperation with the government, it was very very rare. There is a difference between the local municipalities and the national government, but not much. Neither are interested in transparent activities. They also both use NGOGOs to cover up government activities. ESEM goes as far as to claim that the government has created their own civil society sector and that there are two sectors in MK: the real NGOs and the ones created by the government. According to ESEM, civil society is not sustainable in MK. It is hard to find real results of NGO’s work. There is a problem with activism and the formulation of the civil society field. Most NGOs are dependent upon foreign aid. This situation is creating an impossible working environment. Funding is already scarce, and these NGOGOs make it worse. Since 2010, there has been a downsizing in the civil society sector. It has become passive, according to ESEM. The sector exists, but does not do anything productive. Also, the quantity has decreased, possible from the lesser amount of money flowing into Macedonia. Cooperation with the government can be views through different lenses. ESEM meant that cooperation could be seen as equal depending on which issue you judge it off. However, there is no ‘established’ cooperation on any issue. They propose that when the government decides to actually cooperate with everyone who is responsible for subject. If NGOs can work with all ministries that address an issues, then when everyone is included, they can see the result as part of their own work- and thus want to maintain it. The government won’t refuse to work with you if you show them the benefit to them- but there has to be a benefit. Yet, some NGOs also think that cooperation with the government is a threat, a sell out.
There is some MK funding available to NGOs, and there is even a Department for Civil Society. The government announces grant opportunities, but the amount is quite small and maybe less than 1-2% of the budget. ESEM finds it “annoying” how funds are awarded. According to ESEM, the ministers directly decide which NGOs to support. Further, they do not see the applications as an opportunity to connect with many different NGOs, just preferring their own NGOs. While it is all “official and proper,” it is not “fair.” ESEM has received money from the MK government in the past.
Women’s NGOs are treated the same as other NGOs, and much is based upon the capacity of the different civil society organizations. Compared to the other civil society sectors in Macedonia, the women’s civil society sector is highly developed. They are more capable than the other NGOs in other sectors of the civil society sector. There is sustainable opportunities within the civil society sector for women’s NGOs. Since ESEM is striking out against cultural norms and traditions, this makes them stronger. Many NGOs can’t escape from general development and often lack the organizational funding and vision needed.
The meeting was very informative, especially about the ‘women’s situation’ in MK, but I am saving that for another collaborated post with information I have gained from another source as well.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
City Red Cross-Skopje
My next meeting was with someone at the Red Cross, sadly they did not put me in contact with the right person to get all of my questions answered right away, but rather with the people who organize volunteering. Thus this blog post is less about any concrete information like the other interviews and more about what the Red cross does. There is a organization within the Red Cross here (and in Europe from what I can tell) that is called the PHV (Promotion of Human Values) which is basically a large volunteer group of young people.
The lady I was put in contact with provided me with a presentation that she would be giving soon to a visiting Red Cross Dignitary. IT had an overview of the entire work of the Skopje Red Cross, which is separate from the National Red Cross (they are in different buildings). Also, this was the most well established organization I have yet to interview. They are comprised of 5 different branches in the City Red Cross. Where other NGOs had only one small apartment, I got lost trying to find the right office door! Their building had signs all over it of campaigns they had done in the past- ads for AIDS, hungry children, stateless refugees, etc. There are 34 branches in different cities around the country. They have a training center in Struga. They provide their PHV and volunteer retreats there. While only the professional staff is paid, there are many many volunteers.
They have 7 main activities in the City Red Cross:
She also mentioned the different projects that they were currently working on.
I was able to get some information about how closely they worked with the government. They said that it depends on what level of government they are working with and what level of the Red Cross is trying to reach them. The City of Skopje has been a big help to the city Red Cross, but it just depends on the day or week or mood of the government. The local municipalities sometimes help with gaining extra support from their citizens or providing logistical support.
In reference to funding, they get some money for running the blood donation campaigns. In addition, part of the car registration fee goes to the Red Cross. They also provide commercial training to businesses for a fee.
The lady I was put in contact with provided me with a presentation that she would be giving soon to a visiting Red Cross Dignitary. IT had an overview of the entire work of the Skopje Red Cross, which is separate from the National Red Cross (they are in different buildings). Also, this was the most well established organization I have yet to interview. They are comprised of 5 different branches in the City Red Cross. Where other NGOs had only one small apartment, I got lost trying to find the right office door! Their building had signs all over it of campaigns they had done in the past- ads for AIDS, hungry children, stateless refugees, etc. There are 34 branches in different cities around the country. They have a training center in Struga. They provide their PHV and volunteer retreats there. While only the professional staff is paid, there are many many volunteers.
They have 7 main activities in the City Red Cross:
- Dissemination: Or rather the promotion of the Red Cross. Basically this is their PR department without saying so. They promote the red Cross and the principles that they hold, such as the Geneva convention.
- First Aid: Usually completed through schools and businesses. Since there is a law in MK that says for every 20 people employed 1 person has to be trained in First Aid/CPR. Also, every person to get a drivers licence has to have first aid training. (although it is interesting to note that the safety officer at the US Embassy at our briefing told us that there is no Good Samaritan Law here, meaning if you injure someone while trying to help them to the best of your ability, you are liable for their injuries. But if everyone has to get trained I am shocked there is no law like this.)
- Youth Red Cross: There are about 50 active youth volunteers. They are taught how they can be proactive and do different activities with their hands so they can better themselves in the future. Their traditional activities relate to cancer, AIDS or different small projects
- Disaster Outreach and Preparedness: They train a team so they can help with injuries. Every week they have a team on Vodno and Matka (mountains in MK) to help with lost hikers or trapped skiers.
- Blood Donation: They work with an institute for the actual transfusion. The Institute (name less) will come collect the blood. There are campaigns to collect blood as well as clubs for blood donors (to increase their motivation).
- An interesting note is that in the US the Red Cross lets you donate blood every 56 days (in case you need a comparison, less than 2 months for any one!). Here men have to wait 3 months and women 4! When I asked the lady I had been talking too if she knew why she told me it was because of the “delicate balance that women have.” THIS is why I wanted to study gender in MK!
- Social Welfare: They run a campaign against hunger where people can donate food/clothes which are given to “social cases” (AKA the homeless). They also have a program called the week of Solidarity where the 5 centers collect donations from people for the less fortunate.
- Health Prevention: The United Nation’s Refugee program is collaborating with them to help have a center for children (kindergarten).
She also mentioned the different projects that they were currently working on.
- A program, with “Dormeo,” where you can donate an old mattress and they will clean it and it will be given to jails or hospitals. You will be give a coupon for a discount on a new mattress.
- The Center For Homeless People: Every Friday/Tuesday they meet with the homeless people to take them to a center where they can take a shower, get clean clothes, receive basic medical care, and some food. This has been done for the last 3 years.
- Over the next two years they will be implementing a program for the elderly. They will give 80 people a phone with free minutes on it. They will also provide 2 nurses who will help on the phone. They hope to give the elderly people some community to socialize in and get some medical care.
I was able to get some information about how closely they worked with the government. They said that it depends on what level of government they are working with and what level of the Red Cross is trying to reach them. The City of Skopje has been a big help to the city Red Cross, but it just depends on the day or week or mood of the government. The local municipalities sometimes help with gaining extra support from their citizens or providing logistical support.
In reference to funding, they get some money for running the blood donation campaigns. In addition, part of the car registration fee goes to the Red Cross. They also provide commercial training to businesses for a fee.
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