Migrant Health
2017. Migration and key populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Donor: AFEW-International
Amount: 1600€
Project goal: SKOSH partnered with AFEW International on a project carried out within the Bridging the Gaps program supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the scope of the regional work of Bridging the Gaps labor migrants who use drugs have been identified as a group that is very hard to reach with health messages and interventions.
Summary outcomes: A study with the overview of situation, gaps, and possibilities to address public health issues such as HIV, TB and Hepatitis has been carried out in several countries of EECA region, with focus on migrants from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The assessment included a survey with 1500 people in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, asking about knowledge on HIV, drug use, access to services etc. and 15 in-depth interviews carried out in Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Moscow (Russia) and in Almaty (Kazakhstan). The results of the study have been presented at several conferences, including at the International AIDS Conference AIDS 2018 in Amsterdam, A roundtable “Migration and HIV in EECA”, a Regional Dialogue on HIV and Migration in Central Asia.
2019-2021. General support to enhance the health and human rights of marginalized communities in Russia affected by HIV/AIDS through education and technology
Donor: Levi Strauss Foundation
Amount: $100.000
Project goal: To pilot a more flexible structure or work through both Russian and Dutch NGO in the difficult time of political uncertainty and governmental repressions against AIDS-service NGOs working in Russia.
Summary outcomes: The grant allowed to continue the advocacy work together with the Russian partners. This work comprises documenting human rights abuse, reporting it through all available channels; taking action on retribution, including strategic litigation cases and legal aid to the victims. Together with the Russian Forum of People who use drugs and Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network SKOSH prepared several reports to the UN treaties bodies, including the Intermittent report to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, data collection on violence against women for the submission to the UN Committee for elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, a shadow report to the UN Human Rights Committee focused on the violations of the rights to protection from discrimination, to gender equality, freedom from torture; and a report for the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on insufficient law enforcement, prison and judicial statistics in public data; a submission to the UN Committee against Torture. SKOSH supported Russian Forum of People who use drugs to prepare in partnership with European Women’s network on AIDS the briefing for CEDAW on the impact of drug policy on women’s rights and gender based violence and participation of Forum’s representative in a session of UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The grant also allowed to support legal aid, for example when a Russian NGO “Project April” has been sued by the local prosecutor under the Foreign Agents Law in spring 2021.
SKOSH helps Russian partners in maintaining the regular communications with mass media,providing interviews, commentary and site visits to the journalists. In 2020 we collaborated with BBC, Vice, Radio Svoboda, Meduza, TV Channel Dozhd, Takie Dela. SKOSH also supported some SMM work such as a Telegram channel Narcophobia.
The LSF donation has helped to embark on a new initiative to develop a comprehensive monitoring database for social work in Moscow. In 2020 the database has been piloted and by now it is established and allows to monitor routine outreach work. Several capacity building activities were co-funded through this grant, including co-funding of the study tour in Paris in 2019, Russian NGO’s participation in a conference on drug treatment in Montenegro, 7 technical assistance trips to Moscow, including 2 trips for preparation of Russia’s national grant proposal to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and a visit to Minsk, Belarus to participate in local educational activities on drug policy and health.
2021
Donor: Levi Strauss Foundation / Charities AID Foundation
Amount: $100.000
Project goal: To pilot a more flexible structure or work through both Russian and Dutch NGO in the difficult time of political uncertainty and governmental repressions against AIDS-service NGOs working in Russia.
Summary outcomes: In 2021 this grant has allowed to continue the advocacy and capacity-building activities of Stichting SKOSH with the partners from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Together with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association SKOSH co-participated in the development of an online course Sustainability and Survival: Resilience for civil society organizations working with key populations in EECA region. It has supported the work of the Russian Forum of People who use drugs in providing legal consolations to victims of police raids in nightclubs in Moscow and St. Petersburg. More than 20 consultations were held in 2021 and one complaint on violations by police raids were submitted to court in Saint-Petersburg. SKOSH also continues capacity building including the development of the outreach database for Andrey Rylkov Foundation. This grant will support other advocacy and capacity building activities in 2021.