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In memoriam
D-r Ivon Kozuharova – “SEGA” (Start for effective civic alternatives)
We can look back and see the difference
Gonce Jakovleska
We talked to D-r Ivon Kozuharova, president of the managing board and one of the co-founders of the platform “SEGA” at the last NGO Fair, when together with her colleagues from the citizens’ organizations from Bulgaria they presented their activities in front of the Macedonian civic sector. Unfortunately, we could not presume that this would be our last interview with this pleasant enthusiastic woman. We believe that she transferred some of her experience, knowledge and skills to many people she worked with as only that way will her absence in the Bulgarian civic sector be compensated. In this issue we publish the last interview we made on 16 December 2007.
Mrs. Kozuharova, can you tell us some basic information about your organization?
Our organization has been working for 12 years and it helps locally based, formal and informal organizations, it approves their capacity and enables them to take part in solving local problems. We give them training, information, we are mediators between the organizations and local authorities, we develop leadership skills and partnership, we write projects, mobilize resources. We primarily work with people in unequal position, we work with Roma people and we have youth programs. On a central level we work with central institutions, we create campaigns, we lobby for change of politics, change of laws, based upon the practice. The organization works on both national and local level. The work on a local level is carried out through the local organizations.
What are your so far experiences in the work with Roma and young people?
We have achieved our best results in three fields we work on: in education (approach to education), income generation and in local social services that are necessary in the society.
In education we have some very good achievements. As I said, we work with Roma people. The organizations start working with children and parents since pre-school age as they have problems with the Bulgarian language. In this way they are more prepared to go to school. We work a lot with both parents and local authorities. We work a lot on the process of desegregation; you know that in Roma settlements there are specialized Roma schools where the level of education is not good. We want to take the children out of the settlements so that they go to general schools. We already have some very good results in some of the places we work in. Many of the children have already completed secondary education and have enrolled high education. Education is the most important segment, without it Roma people cannot be integrated within the society.
Our second big activity is income generation. We have a big program, called “Land Program”. The main objective is Roma families to get a land. The Roma families take a land, cultivate it, then they can buy and pay it. There is a special revolving fund in which money revolves. Cultivating the land, families have for themselves and they can also sell and make incomes. Surprisingly, a lot of people have applied for using the privileges of the Program. Surprisingly, as Roma people are not people of agriculture and the response was high.
We also have some smaller programs for small or family businesses. On a central level in this part we work on improving the policies for creating new job positions and against discrimination.
The third achievement is in the part of social services, support through social help for those who need it a lot.
However, our main achievements are in education and income generation.
What are the experiences from the work with parents in part of the education?
There is a big change. In 1995, when a survey was carried out about people’s needs, most of the respondents said they needed social help. Now they say they need education. Their opinion has slowly changed as they saw that their children are better with better education. It is something that can be touched and measured and it is very important.
In Bulgaria there are about 800.000 Roma people, which is 10% of the total population. They are not compact communities, they are divided into groups that differ a lot between themselves. I can say that it is better to work in smaller municipalities.
Could you tell me about your campaigns, representation, the change of legal decisions, more favorable legal decisions?
“Sega” is a member of different structures within central institutions, such as the Council for Ethnic and Democratic Issues, the National Council for Integration of Roma Children in Education, the Children’s Education Fund and other different working groups. Through these structures and together with other civil society organizations we try to affect changes of laws. Such was the case with the Law on Social Help in which certain amendments have been done in the procedures for getting the help. It was difficult to change the law that covers the issues related to our “Land Program”. According to the then law, in order to cultivate a land, 20% of the land’s value was supposed to be paid. The Roma are poor and are not able to meet this obligation. We managed to influence on the change of the law. The change enabled land cultivation and payment of the debt for lease in installments. There are some other such examples, but the essence is the same, influence in state structures that take part in laws’ creation and passing. We lobby on the basis of our practice and on the basis of what we get from our network of organizations. The network has 23 organizations so behind our initiatives and activities there are lots of people.
At the moment in Macedonia there is only one platform, but a few networks. What are your experiences in the platform coordination?
The Bulgarian association of developing civil society organizations is a relatively new platform, it has been existing for two years. Two organizations coordinate the platform, one of them is “Sega” and the other one is Care International. It is not easy at all. It is an informal platform, there have not been any rules for functioning yet and everything is on a voluntary principle. At the moment we are by the level of strengthening the capacities. Now we will have some work out of the country, too. The civil society organizations do not have many contacts with organizations from other countries. But now they will be country’s partners in its projects in Georgia, Ermenia etc. We already have a mission and objectives and we have already prepared a code of ethics. We decided not to register, but to remain a non-formal platform as it gives us bigger flexibility. In the beginning enthusiastic period, the platform had 30 organizations. In the meantime the numbers were reduced and now between 12 and 15 organizations are active. We have an internet group where we discuss. We have a common program and working groups.
What is your personal experience in the coordination of several different organizations? How prepared are the organizations to sometimes put the platform’s requirements before their own requirements?
It is not easy. The organizations that stayed within the platform have representatives who have a mandate to represent their organization, so we do not have any problems of that aspect. We used to have more problems due to the size, many people, everyone wants to travel, to see, to find out about the other and it is difficult to coordinate it. Now things are canalized through the working groups and everyone is doing his/her own business.
Have many things changed in relation to the civil society since Bulgaria has become a member of the EU?
The conditions are different. The funds now already go through governmental institutions. On one hand some of the municipalities do not have a sufficient capacity to apply for the funds. We create trainings for the municipality administration, about how a project should be prepared, how to determine priorities. For the civil society organizations they are big tenders that require meeting some specific conditions, such as to exist for 10 years, a big budget etc. The small and medium-sized organizations fall out this way. Due to such changes, we should also change, we need some new capacities that would suit the new conditions. The main changes are in the way of financing.
How do the civil society organizations accept that?
They were ready, they knew it would be that way. They struggle to survive. In Bulgaria there are over 20.000 registered civil society organizations and 2.000-3.000 might be active.
How long have you been in this sector?
Since 1991. It was then when I started working for UNICEF, then I went to “Sega” and since then I have been here, in the civic sector.
Do you ever make comparison between this and the other sectors you have worked with?
Well, it is hard to compare it. Firstly, the times were different. I have worked as a journalist in a medical newspaper, as I am a doctor by profession. Nothing can be compared with the work with people as this one that brings me such pleasure. Sometimes it is very difficult, when we measure the results we sometimes say “utopia, nothing can be done”! However, as the time passes, we can look back and see the difference. The other very good thing is the contact with many people, different people, different organizations, different problems, different mistakes, a good attempt, a bad attempt…
Have you managed to transfer your enthusiasm to the young people and to mobilize them in our sector?
Yes, but not all of them. Things have changed a lot since the Bulgaria’s accession to the EU. There are people who choose and it is normal, but we work a lot with volunteers and students.
We have 7 people employed in the organization. I am a president of the Managing board. At the moment we have two volunteers. Everyone has his/her own duties he/she is responsible for. At the moment our team is very good, they are mostly young people.
And finally, what experiences will you take from the Fair?
This is a wonderful idea, well organized and we congratulate the organizers. I hope we will see each other in some other occasion. |
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