Archive for month: April, 2020

United we are stronger – for all of our communities!

Juventas, Queer Montenegro, Association “Spektra” and LBT women Association “Stana”, a group of Montenegrin NGOs, continues to provide services during the COVID-19 epidemics despite all the changes in the working conditions, and following all of the guidelines of the National Coordination Body for the prevention of the new Corona virus spread.
Persons from the LGBTIQ communities, people who use/inject drugs, sex workers, ex-prisoners, our main target groups, face many challenges at the moment some of which include: emerging or worsening mental health issues due to the long isolation and no contact with relevant others, additional economic hardship which can potentially lead to unemployment and homelessness, higher risk for the ones already facing domestic violence, as well as higher risk of discrimination happening due to changed health system priorities.
People who use/inject drugs, sex workers and former and active prisoners are communities NGO Juventas works with in particular. The services being delivered to them are the following:
1. Distribution and exchange of safe injection equipment (syringes, needles, cookers, medical alcohol, elastic tourniquets…) in Drop in centers and during outreach
2. Distribution of free condoms and lubricants in Drop in centers and during outreach
3. Service of washing and drying of laundry and garments (on a regular basis, but now even more so as a part of measures preventing the spread of Corona virus)
4. Online and phone counseling with outreach and expert workers (doctor, psychologist, social worker)
5. Delivering food packages for the ones most economically challenged (once per week, quantity for 7 days)

According to measures issued by the Government, all external partners/associates are forbidden to provide additional services in prison. On the other hand, Juventas is supporting the work of this institution by providing materials for in prison tailoring of protective masks throughout the framework of a project this organization has.
The services being delivered to the Montenegrin LGBTIQ communities are a product of cooperation and synergies of all four named organizations, Juventas, Queer Montenegro, Association “Spektra” and LBT women Association “Stana”, and these include:

1.      Distribution of free condoms and lubricants – NGO Juventas

2.      Online and phone counseling with outreach and expert workers (doctor, psychologist, social worker) – NGO Juventas

3.      Service of washing and drying of laundry and garments (on a regular basis, but now even more so as a part of measures preventing the spread of Corona virus) – NGO Juventas

4.      Delivering food packages for the ones most economically challenged (once per week, quantity for 7 days)-NGO Juventas andNGO Queer Montenegro 

5.      Peer online and phone individual and group counselling and support- NGO Queer Montenegro
6.      Free legal aid- NGO Queer Montenegro
7.      Peer online and phone individual and group counselling and support for

8.      LBTQ women-LBTQ Women’s Association “Stana”

9.      Online self-support group for trans and gender variantpersons- Association “Spectra”

10.  Individual online and phone consultations for trans and gender variant persons- Association “Spectra”

In addition to services we are delivering for more than 10 years already, but also in trying to answer the needs of the communities we work with and lessen the burden the COVID19 pandemics brought along, Juventas and Queer Montenegro started with the distribution of food and basic hygiene package for the ones most vulnerable in communities we are working with. It is important to note that these have been adapted to the living conditions of our clients, some of whom do not even have the basic requirements for a dignified life: electricity and/or water.
Juventas and Queer Montenegro, in cooperation with international donors, have set aside a part of their funds in order to fully and adequately provide this service to our clients. Delivery of food and personal hygiene packages is being implemented on a weekly basis and received a special permission from the National Coordination Body for the Prevention of the New Corona virus Spread. Two teams made out of two outreach workers are responsible for food packages delivery. Throughout the process – from the supply of food to its direct distribution, all engaged persons fully comply with all the prescribed preventive measures and use the available protective equipment.
Outreach workers and associates are dedicated to communicating with clients based on their needs, whether online, telephone or in direct contact, again with preventive measures in place. Online communication with all our communities is conducted through social networks (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and various communication platforms such as Viber, Whats App, Skype and the new Houseparty application which, in addition to communication, enables people to play social games. It is important to note that the phone numbers of team members of all of our organizations are available and visible on the platforms listed. Also, we have prepared specific guidelines for our team and clients.
All our four organizations have been advocating for the protection and human rights of all the communities we work with since the outbreak. It is our great pleasure to be able to provide these services to our clients coming from all of the communities we are working with, and we are using this opportunity to thank all of our colleagues for their hard work in trying to alleviate the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic.

At the time of measures aimed at suppressing and preventing the transmission of virus coronas, measures were also introduced at CAZAS to protect the health of employees, and the organization of work was modified. Namely, one employee is on duty at the main office every weekday from 9 am to 2 pm. Other employees work from home. All activities that involve gathering more than one person in one place are postponed until further notice (seminars, round tables, meetings, etc.). During this period, emphasis was placed on online activism and online counseling. Working hours of drop-in centers in Podgorica and Bar, in accordance with the Government’s measures, were reduced to the period from 16 to 18h, while the field work remained unchanged, with mandatory observance of measures of protection and preservation of health. In order to protect the health of employees, the provision of hygiene services in drop-in centers is currently suspended, while counseling with a psychologist, social worker or physician is done exclusively by telephone or through a social media account at @smanjenje_stete_cazas. Lunch packages are distributed to customers without modification, while the exchange and distribution of injection supplies is done in large quantities to reduce the number of social contacts.

The Altruist Association works with children at risk and in the prevention of risky behaviors. They work in two locations, the Day Center and the Field Classroom in Bafo. Altruist program consists of working individually with a teacher, psychologist or social worker. They offer help with schoolwork or homework, as well as instructional instruction and also conduct creative educational workshops tailored to the needs of the children they work with. In addition, Altruist beneficiary are parents and entire families. They offer psychological counseling and support as needed. Due to the emergency due to the appearance of COVID – 19, the Day Center and the Field Classroom stopped working directly with the users on 12.3.2020. year, the day when the children also stopped going to school. The staff continued to work on the premises of the Center on the administrative part of the work, and on further planning of emergency work. After additional measures were introduced by the HNZ expert staff, it was decided that all staff would continue to work from home on the administrative part of the work, with regular meetings to plan work in the coming period, in extraordinary conditions. After the Day Center and Field Classroom stopped working directly with users, all Altruist activities were moved online and to social networks. All parents were personally contacted and informed that the Center would not continue to work with users on their premises, but that an alternative work plan was developed. It involves online communication via Viber messages or calls. Viber was chosen as a medium of communication because most of our users have access to it. Through Viber, parents can get the help they need in schoolwork, homework, or instructional instruction. A psychologist and / or social worker is also available to them in case of need for psychosocial support related to their or their children’s personal needs or directly related to a pandemic. Altruist also set up a Viber group where parents can ask for help with their children at school. The group was formed with the aim of creating a common database of all tasks that were done with children, but also because of the possibility of connecting our users with each other. In addition, all additional information and announcements of some events, marking important dates throughout the month can be followed by users on social networks (Facebook). It is important to emphasize that the Viber Group is made with parents, not children, to activate and involve parents in working with children and to avoid the overuse of cell phones in children.

Altruist users responded positively to the alternative work plan and immediately accepted it. Already after the first contact, customers have accepted the new mode and started working with our staff. The collaboration is mostly related to schoolwork and homework, as the school is currently held online. As for psychological counseling over the phone, there was some adjustment time. Most of the parents called because of problems with school materials, and often these conversations would turn into counseling. Given the new situation, they have recognized that parents also need counseling on how to organize the day, how to motivate their children to work and listen to school material from home, and to fulfill all their school responsibilities. Parents also have the problem of maintaining discipline at home and devising activities for children. In addition, by keeping in touch with parents, Altruist can also monitor how they cope with the situation and whether they need additional help or some intervention. Currently, parents respond well to this type of counseling and are more relaxed in seeking our help. With this mode of work, they are in constant direct communication with beneficiaries , actively cooperating and receiving constant feedback on Altruist work, on the basis of which we then plan further activities and activities. Their activities related to marking significant dates of the year and educational and creative workshops conducted on a weekly basis cannot be maintained until we start working with customers at our Center. However, they have postponed all of planned activities, and they are developing a plan for when and how they will be reimbursed and implemented. In addition, Altruist users of the Bafo Resort Classroom are mostly socially disadvantaged families. At present, material assistance is a priority, as many users are left unaccepted in this situation. On this basis, in addition to online communication, we work to secure funds and donations to provide material assistance to our vulnerable customers. For now, Altruist alternative work plan is working and they have received a positive reaction from beneficiaries . It is important to emphasize that the expert team is in constant communication with each other and adjusts the work plan according to the feedback received from parents and children.

Iris Network member, LEDA Development Association Due to the new situation with COVID-19 LEDA suspended fieldwork, complying with measures to prevent the spread of the infection. Theirs primary users are pre-school children and they communicate with children and families via telephone and online platforms. It is very important that LEDA follow the instructions and keep our contacts to a minimum, and again find a way to keep their users from being ignored. Because they are prevented from working in the field and supporting little ones in kindergartens, their hardworking online educators encourage little ones to spend time in isolation more easily and with more fun. They make fun games for them, and the children, on the other hand, kids are happy to send their work to LEDA. The least LEDA can do is post them on website, thus stimulating other parents to spend time at home in a fulfilled way. As an organization, LEDA are at the disposal of its users, and thay can gladly be mediators when it comes to assistance packages or other assistance to the socially vulnerable categories. LEDA: “Stay at home, everything will be fine.”