Beyond Resistance
2017
Donor: AFEW-International
Amount: $39,840
Project goal: To develop a flexible model for defending health and human rights of people who use drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the new context of political opposition to effective HIV prevention and NGO work.
Summary outcomes: Within its first grant, SKOSH work mainly focused on establishing the new organization and technical assistance to organizations in Russia and Tajikistan. SKOSH successfully helped to fundraise for HIV prevention activities in Moscow, developed a web site for a partner NGO Dina in Khudjand (Tajikistan). Apart from that, SKOSH assisted in advocacy activities to several organizations: UNDP-Tajikistan (help with developing model guidance for prison program for people who use drugs and an analytical note on the legal and normative regulation of coercive drug treatment in the Republic of Tajikistan) and the Public Mechanism of Monitoring of drug policy reform in Russia (compilation of shadow reports to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1, 2, 3). SKOSH has also actively built alliances, for example by participating in the regional autumn school in Almaty, Kazakhstan for NGOs from EECA region. SKOSH has also provided technical assistance to partners in Russia and Tajikistan on increasing communication with mass media and organizations visibility for example by organizing a two weeks study tour on drug policy for a 2017 winner of the journalist competition in Russia. SKOSH also engaged in several research projects such as a survey on police harassment of people who use drugs in Russia which revealed unprecedented levels of police corruption and human rights violations that are faced by people who use drugs in Russia.
2018
Donor: AFEW-International
Amount: 30.000€
Project goal: To develop a flexible model for defending health and human rights of people who use drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the new context of political opposition to effective HIV prevention and NGO work.
Summary outcomes: In 2018 the Beyond Resistance work focused on advocacy for better health and human rights on the local and international levels. Several shadow reports were prepared and presented to various UN human rights Committees in cooperation with the Russian Forum of People who use drugs. This includes report to the UN Committee against Torture, Shadow report to the UN Committee on the rights of persons with disabilities, Shadow report for the United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review Working Group presented at the 30th session of the UPR in Geneva. SKOSH has also provided technical assistance in preparation of 14 strategic litigation cases by Russian partners. At the International AIDS Conference AIDS 2018 in Amsterdam SKOSH has made 12 presentations during the conference and contributed to the Conference program (Conference Program Committee). Capacity building of partner NGOs remained a priority – in 2018 in cooperation with Deutsche AIDS Hilfe we organized a study tour of Russian partners to Berlin where they learned about public health work with people who use drugs and in September 2018 co-organized a Forum of Social Workers in Moscow for NGOs that provide services to marginalized communities. Together with the Panda Theater-Berlin SKOSH co-organized a discussion on drugs and feminism for Russian-speaking audience in Berlin in April 2018.
2019
Donor: AFEW-International
Amount: 10.000€
Project goal: To develop a flexible model for defending health and human rights of people who use drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the new context of political opposition to effective HIV prevention and NGO work.
Summary outcomes: Within this project technical assistance has been provided to partner NGOs in Russia, including developing a micro-donation campaign for Andrey Rylkov Foundation, work with mass media on issues of HIV, drug policy and health, development of a brochure on Chemsex for the Russian-speaking gay community in the region of EECA. Advocacy activities focused on community mobilization and network building around the “Summer 228” activities in Russia related to a case of falsely accused journalist Ivan Golunov. In September, together with the Medecins du Monde and French NGO AIDES, Skosh co-organized a study tour of Russian NGO partners to Paris, France.