On March 5th 2024 COPASAH Europe Network organized a training on “Promoting mental health and well-being through advocacy: A Human-rights-based framework for mental health” providing opportunities to its members to explore discrimination as a crosscutting issue with mental health and well-being, while promoting the meaningful engagement of communities through advocacy. The training was developed and delivered by Daniela E. Miranda, Universidad de Sevilla, CESPYD.
Members name: SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence Niksic
Local
City: Niksic
Country: Montenegro
Website: http://www.sosnk.org/
E-mail: niksicsos@gmail.com
Phone: 0038268130130
Members name: Roma youth organization “Walk with us – Phiren Amenca”
Local
City: Podgorica
Country: Montenegro
Website: https://www.facebook.com/phirenamenca.org
E-mail: elwis.berisha@gmail.com
Phone: +382 68 189 215
Members name: Center for Roma Initiatives
Local
City: Niksic
Country: Montenegro
Website: https://www.facebook.com/centarzaromskeinicijative2004/
E-mail: crink@t-com.me
Phone: +382 67/104-700
Members name: Asocijacija Spektra
Local
City: Podgorica
Country: Montenegro
Website: https://asocijacijaspektra.org/
E-mail: info@asocijacijaspektra.org
Phone: +38269619611
Members name: Moja Šansa je i Tvoja Sansa
Local
City: Podgorica
Country: Montenegro
Website: mojasansajeitvojasansa.mystrikingly.com
E-mail: Mojasansajeitvojasansa@gmail.com
Phone: 0038267438144
Members name: Professional Association of Social Workers of Montenegro
Local
City: Podgorica
Country: Montenegro
E-mail: susrcg.paswmne@gmail.com
Phone: 0 67 216 684
Members name: Psychological Association of Montenegro
Local
City: Podgorica
Country: Montenegro
E-mail: pacg.info@gmail.com
Web site: www.pacg.me/
Phone: +38267555393
Members name: Human Rights in Democracy Centre – Albania
Local
Address:
City: Podgorica
Country: Montenegro
E-mail: ranko.link.mne@gmail.com
Phone: +38267645328
Members name: Human Rights in Democracy Centre – Albania
Local
Address:
City:
Country: Albania
E-mail: aprroni@hotmail.com
Web site: www.hrdc.al
Phone: 00355692077661
Members name: Europolis
Local
Address:
City:
Country: Serbia
E-mail: dane.pribic@cdde.rs
Web site: http://www.cdde.rs/
Phone: +381655526674
Members name: Group for Analysis and Policy-making
Local and National
Address: Belgrade
City: Belgrade
Country: Serbia
E-mail: tamara.vukov@gajp.org.rs
Web site: http://gajp.org.rs/
Phone: +381 64 503 24 11
Members name: NGO Labyrinth
Local and National
Address: Prishtina
City: Prishtina
Country: Kosovo
E-mail: labirinti@gmail.com
Web site: http://www.labirinti-ks.org/
Phone: +383 44 131 409
Members name: Community Development Institute Macedonia
Local and National
Address: Tetovo
City: Tetovo
Country: Macedonia
E-mail: efkoski@hotmail.com
E-mail: info@cdi.mk
Web site: www.cdi.mk
Phone: +38970250286
Members name: Juventas
National, Regional and Global
Address: Oktobarske revolucije 78
City: Podgorica
Country: Montenegro
E-mail: juventascg@gmail.com
Web site: www.juventas.me
Phone: +382 68016334
Meet our member:
Juventas is one of the oldest and the most active NGOs in Montenegro. The mission of Juventas is a society of social justice in which all people feel safe, free and respected, participate in decision-making, have equal opportunities and enjoy all human rights, regardless of differences and personal characteristics. Juventas improving social cohesion by creating communities tailored to all through the promotion of active youth participation, policy making and advocacy, innovative and sustainable support services for the socially excluded, as well as empowering key actors in the process. Juventas implementing 2 programs: Direct Assistance Programme and Strengthening the capacities, research, policy and advocacy Programme.
Members name: PAD Foundation for environmental justice
Local and National
Address: 16-18. Krúdy Gyula street, H-1088
City: Budapest
Country: Hungary
E-mail: gergely.papp@pad.network
Web site: www.pad.network
Phone: +362 02975203
Meet our member:
PAD Foundation conducts research, policy analysis, advocacy, education and awareness raising campaigns, socially engaged art projects to promote and advance intersectional approaches to combat environmental justice in Central Eastern Europe. PAD tackles inequalities in access, availability, affordability, and quality of environment, natural resources and public spaces, and challenges narratives and representations of these inequalities. It was established in Budapest, Hungary in 2016.
In Hungary – as in many European countries – Roma experience significantly worse health outcomes than the general population. Limited access to health care services does not fully explain this gap in the Roma health status. Social and environmental determinants, such as bad housing conditions, limited public infrastructure, environmental harms, geographic and social exclusion, are very much related to the health condition of Roma in East-Central-Europe. When it comes to closing the health gap between Roma and non-Roma, evidence suggests that social determinants of health — social, economic, cultural, political, and environmental factors — play a more significant role than their limited access to health care services. Our objective is to collect relevant evidence on social and environmental determinants of Roma health in a Hungarian town’s segregated neighborhoods to strengthen the need for research-based evidence in policy-making as well as for the mobilization of local Roma communities in advocacy for the improvement of health indicators.
Members name: NGO KHAM Delcevo
National and Regional
Address: M. Tito No. 69
City: Delcevo
Country: North Macedonia
E-mail: nvokhamdelcevo@gmail.com.mk
Web site: www.khamdelcevo.org.mk
Phone: +389 33413 695
Meet our member:
KHAM Delcevo is independent, bipartisan and nonprofit organization, established in 1999. KHAM works to accomplish tis vision or more precisely to ensure that citizens in the Republic of Macedonia are equal, dignified employees, exercised their right to health and fully involved in the educational process and other spheres of social life. KHAM is a civic organization that through informing, educating, influencing policies and providing services helps Roma and marginalized groups to engage in the realization of their health rights, to provide better educational level and better economic position. Main goals of KHAM are: Promotion of the human rights and protection from discrimination based on ethnic and racial profiling through increased level of information of the Roma community and the marginalized groups for the basic human rights; Inclusion and informing the Roma community and the marginalized groups with emphasize of youths in creation of local and national policies; Implementation of the preventive health programmes through overcoming the barriers during the accomplishment of the health rights and changing the negative narratives; Accomplishment of the right of housing of the marginalized groups with emphasize on Roma; Increasing the employment and employability of Roma and improvement of their competences on the labour market through overcoming of the negative narratives and promotion of positive models of Roma employees; Increasing the coverage of the Roma children in preschool education and increasing of the regularity and improvement of the results of the Roma students from primary and high school, and through increasing the awareness of the parents for the importance of education of their children; and Affirmation of the Roma history and culture.
Members name: Foundation Open Society – Macedonia
National, Regional and Global
Address: Blvd. Jane Sandanski 111
City: Skopje
Country: North Macedonia
E-mail: fosm@fosm.mk
Web site: www.fosm.mk
Phone: +389 22444488
Meet our member:
Foundation Open Society – Macedonia is part of the global network of Open Society Foundations founded by the American investor and philanthropist George Soros, and in North Macedonia, they officially started operating in 1992. FOSM committed to creating a dynamic and tolerant society in which citizens are aware and active, and authorities accountable, a society in which everyone has equal opportunities to exploit their potentials, be involved in decision-making, initiate change, a society that respects different thinking and where critical thinking is nurtured and developed. FOSM support is, for the most part, expressed through grants to CSOs, informal groups and individuals, who work in many areas, all in their own way, to promote the values of an open society. Since 1992, the Foundation has invested more than 100 million dollars to democratize Macedonian society and improve the lives of its citizens, which remains our focus, and we raise many issues that are of interest to all citizens on a daily basis. FOSM actively support solutions that will enable the development of civil society, promoting health and education, strengthening the rule of law, respecting and protecting human rights, freedom of speech, youth engagement, integration of Roma and other marginalized communities, enabling the fight against corruption, but also access to justice for all citizens equally.
Members name: Roma Democratic Development Association – Sonce
National and Global
Address: Иво Лола Рибар 381-3
City: Тетово
Country: North Macedonia
E-mail: info@sonce.org.mk
Web site: www.sonce.org.mk
Phone: +389 44352390
Meet our member:
Sonce is an established organization that works on local, national and international level, that actively contributes to Roma integration in the society and equal practice of democratic rights and opportunities for Roma. Sonce contributes to the democratic integration and effective participation of the Roma community in society through capacity building, direct support and representation of their interests.
Members name: HOPS – Healthy Options Project Skopje
National and Global level
Address: Hristo Smirnenski 48/1-6
City: Skopje
Country: North Macedonia
E-mail: hops@hops.org.mk
Web site: /
Phone: +389 23246205
Meet our member:
HOPS is a civil society organization that has actively implemented its programs and activities in Skopje and other cities in Republic of Macedonia, since 1997. In 1997 it introduced the first needle exchange program for prevention of HIV/AIDS among drug users and their families in R. Macedonia and three year later, in 2000, it began implementing the first program for support of sex workers in Skopje. Since then, it has successfully developed and implemented programs for reduction of drug related harm, prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, as well as programs for social inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized communities in the country.Healthy Options Project Skopje (HOPS) is the recipient of the 2010 International Award for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights awarded by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network – www.aidslaw.ca and Human Rights Watch – www.hrw.org. In its actions, HOPS primarily conducts its activities in order to improve the status of drug users and sex workers, as well as all other marginalized groups in the society and in this context they all are direct users or target groups in the operations of the organization. On the other hand, HOPS also provides support for forming and operating of other civic associations in Skopje and throughout Macedonia, which have similar mission as HOPS and which have potential to work with similar target groups. HOPS acts as a mentor and helper in the functioning of these associations and in their better approach to users.
Members name: Romano Cacipe – Аssociation for development and promotion of the Roma community
National
Address: Vinichka 28
City: Skopje
Country: North Macedonia
E-mail: romanocacipe@yahoo.com
Web site: (20+) Romano Chachipe | Facebook
Phone: +389 22655035
Meet our member:
Romano Cacipe is a civil society organization that works to improve the position of Roma in the society. Furthermore, Romano Cacipe works to achieve equality and promotion of Roma rights, as well as increase social inclusion of Roma through legal strengthening, support of social entrepreneurial activities and improvement of the socio – economic status of Roma.
Members name: Center for Social Advocacy
National
Address: Vangjel capo, pal 2, ap.26
City: Tirana
Country: Albania
E-mail: qendraqas@gmail.com
Web site: /
Phone: +355 0698418269
Meet our member:
The main goal of the community center is to empower families in need, mainly Roma and Egyptians, to seek and realize their rights. The Center will strive to achieve this by taking concrete actions and initiatives that facilitate access to services and social and legal rights, in order to improve their living conditions, level of education, housing, employment, health and their position in society. We are established in 2019, but our work has started many years ago as informal activists. Through advocacy we have aimed to bring to Roma and Egyptian Minorities concrete changes that help their daily life.
Members name: Thirst for Life
National and Regional
Address: 11 “Tcar Osvoboditel”
City: Sliven
Country: Bulgaria
E-mail: info@thirstforlife-bg.com
Web site: www.thirstforlife-bg.com
Phone:+359 879500015
Meet our member:
The Thirst for Life Association is a non-governmental organization established in 2005 . The main activities of the association are prevention, information, education and direct work with various groups of young people – those with risky sexual behavior, drug users, young people with disabilities, young people with anti-social behavior, young people from rural areas, young people from the Roma community, as well as prominent young people from elite schools.
The mission and main goal of the organization is to reduce health, social and cultural damage among one of the most vulnerable risk groups in our society – young people with risky behavior. Our task is to modernize the continuity between the generations in the Roma community and to support the risk groups. This includes the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, the reduction of harm from drug use, the development of the health, social and cultural level of young people of Roma origin. We aim and work to build a modern network of health, social and legal protection for young people with risky behavior, establishing a new approach to work that respects their human rights and dignity.
Members name: Association for Legal Education and Transparency LET STATION Prilep.
National and Regional
Address: Prilepski Braniteli no.24/1-mezzanine
City: Prilep
Country: North Macedonia
E-mail: stanicapet@gmail.com
Web site: /
Phone: +389 76278753
Meet our member:
Association for Legal Education and Transparency LET STATION Prilep is voluntary, nonprofit and non-partisan association formed pursuant to the freedom of association for the purpose of attainment, protection and alignment of its interests in regard to fulfilling legal needs of citizens, by encouraging openness and cooperation with the institutions, in compliance with the Constitution and Laws. The Association’s mission shall be defined as fulfilment of legal needs of citizens, by encouraging openness and cooperation with institutions.
The Goals and tasks of the Association shall be: to provide education and assistance to citizens in exercising their rights, by means of free legal aid and preliminary legal assistance, with primary focus on vulnerable and marginalized groups, especially the Roma population, in the area of health and social rights; to encourage system institutions to demonstrate transparency and accountability in their operations, tailored to the needs of citizens; to promote equality of citizens on all grounds, by taking activities aimed at prevention and protection against discrimination; to encourage natural persons and legal entities to join humanitarian actions aimed at reducing and alleviating poverty; to ensure conditions for multi-ethnic and social cohesion and operation, by involving persons of different ethnic, geographic and social profile, thus allowing them opportunity to make actual and effective contribution for positive changes in the society; and to contribute towards attainment of gender equality and address existing inequalities between men and women, with a view to advance women’s inclusion in societal processes.
Members name: Media Education Center
National, Regional and Global.
Address: Obilicev venac 21
City: Belgrade
Country: Serbia
E-mail: office@mediaeducationcentre.eu
Web site: http://www.mediaeducationcentre.eu/eng/?page_id=2337
Phone: +381 62 1071082
Meet our member:
The mission of the Media Education Centre is to promote role of the Media, Peace and Information Literacy in the transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework that includes respect and care for the community of life, new media pedagogy, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. The Media Education Centre (MEC) for children, youth and adults are a non-political, nonprofit, nonsectarian NGO. People from different socio-cultural backgrounds work together converting and translating ideas and opinion in creative Media Language and Produce Film, Animation, Radio, Television and other Digital Media with the main goal to ADVANCE Communication, Social Change, Intercultural-Interfaith Dialogue, Social Inclusion, Gender Equality, Ecological Wisdom and Social Responsible Development. Our work promotes the Global Education, Vocational Education and Training, New Media Education/Pedagogy for Children, Young Adults, Disabled People, Migrants, Refugees and people from other vulnerable groups. Media, Information and Peace education and literacy support our effort to promote Communication, Cooperation and Peace and to ensure promotion and implementation of human and children’s rights, media and information democracy, self-expression and preservation of cultural national and religious diversity. The Media Education Centre is the headquarters for the World Summit on Media for Youth, Media Laboratory, Danube for Peace and Danube and Balkans PLUS International Traveling Festival. MEC is also in the Presidency of the Unity in Diversity-World Civil Society, Champion Member and HQ of the “Unity in Diversity Balkans-Danube Region-South East Europe”.
Members name: RomaJust – Roma Lawyers Association
National, Regional and Global.
Address: Iași, str. Radu Vodă nr.14, bl. 769, sc. A, ap.14, jud. Iași,
City: Fetesti
Country: Romania
E-mail: office.romajust@gmail.com
Web site: www.romajust.ro.org
Phone: +40 751622112
Meet our member:
Doing Justice for Justice. By definition, RomaJust was born as a solution for the professional development of young Roma law graduates in Romania and Europe. We take great interest in their professional access and success, in facilitating their development. We believe they can create and consolidate a generation of attorneys that will support and defend the rights of Roma law graduates, and European citizens alike. We also believe that this hub will further fight against discrimination and civic liberty. We provide Legal Assistance (we provide legal services, consulting and counseling for community members, NGO”s and all institutions that need to resolve a legal matter. We offer civic support regarding human rights and legal benefits); Litigation and Representation (we identify, document, represent and monitor discrimination abuse and human rights cases); Legislation Monitoring (we assume the role of a „watch dog” when it comes to fighting discrimination in the legal area. We actively partake in public debates on issuing new laws, we organize lobby campaigns to correct laws that discriminate and to adopt new laws in the advantage of underprivileged communities.); and Education and Training (we organize special trainings that support students in acceding their professional exams. We organize national and international exchange of experience). RomaJust achievements during the past years are: Making sure that Roma law graduates take part in various educational programs, assuring their presence in various trainings, workshops and activities in the Law field, as well as making sure they are part of juridical seminars, meetings, professional events and courses.
Increasing the number of Roma professionals in the Law area, based on Law graduates from the Roma community; Encouraging collaboration and sharing exchanging experience between Roma law graduates; Promoting diversity in practicing Law; Promoting and defending the rights and interests of Law students, graduates and specialists all over the country; Making pro-bono a must in Law school graduates, as well as social responsibility; Supporting the civil society, developing active community citizenship, promoting democracy and human rights fighting discrimination and supporting the overall development of the NGO area; Supporting overlooked minorities and vulnerable groups; Promoting innovative solutions regarding involvement of the society members that are relevant to decision making; and Promoting equality fighting Supporting overlooked minorities and vulnerable groups.
Members name: National Roma Centrum (NRC)
National, Regional and Europe.
Address: Done Bozinov 11/5
City: Kumanovo
Country: North Macedonia
E-mail: info@nationalromacentrum.org
Web site: www.nationalromacentrum.org
Phone: +389 31427558
Meet our member:
NRC was established in 2005, as joint initiative of few visionaries with limited capacities and funds and with the vision to advocate for Roma citizens integration in the society through collaboration with relevant actors and building a modern multiethnic society in the county. Our vision was initially supported from OSF and REF. Our mission is to provide to the citizens a place where problems are accumulated, discussed and resolved. Our team works hardly to achieve the organizations goals and on providing capacities within the Roma communities that will provide long lasting changes initiated and maintained by them. We work on access to health, education, social protection and legal protection of Roma in Kumanovo, North Macedonia and Balkans.
Members name: Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women (ESE)
National, Regional and Global.
Address: Maksim Gorki 20/1-4
City: Skopje
Country: North Macedonia
E-mail: esem@esem.org.mk
Web site: www.esem.org.mk
Phone: +389 23298295
Meet our member:
ESE is a civil organization, founded in 1994. We work locally, nationally and in the region of Central and Southeast Europe in cooperation with partner civil society organizations. We are working to improve the implementation of the social and economic rights of vulnerable groups of citizens, by strengthening them, mobilizing and engaging in the planning, implementation and evaluation of public policies and services; ensuring equal access to justice and promoting fiscal transparency of institutions in the area of social and economic rights. These three strategic priorities reflect our belief that social and economic rights should be the highest priority of the state and that their implementation should be based on the interests and needs of citizens, according to the principle of allocation of maximum available resources, progressive realization of rights and non-discrimination. ESE’s driving force is its commitment to resolution of problems. By promoting and improving the human rights, we improve social and economic justice, having in mind that human rights are an invaluable collection of standards that should be enjoyed by all. We are particularly devoted to work in the field of promotion and improvement of health rights and women rights. Therefore, we are focused on two goals, those being: to address urgent needs of citizens, in particular the needs of vulnerable groups of citizens, and to influence creation of sustainable and long-term changes. We do much more than documenting, reporting and publicly condemning injustices in the society. We provide legal and paralegal assistance, allowing citizens to exercise their rights and change their living conditions. Moreover, we advocate for changes of legislation and policies that affect exercise of health rights and women rights. We advocate at national and at international level. We draft and submit “shadow reports” and other types of documents to competent international bodies concerning the degree of implementation of international treaties on human rights. Our approaches are: joining the concepts of social accountability and legal empowerment; gender responsive budgeting; monitoring transparency and accountability of public institutions; monitoring implementation of human rights; assessment of the degree of legal and court protection; and providing assistance and information.