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Description
Drug dependent people (DDP) in Lithuania have psychosocial, health problems and they are not being properly advocated in local and state levels. Due to lack co-operation between institutions and DDP, problems are not solved timely and qualitatively, DDPs‘rights are violated. All of this happens because there is no DDP community capable to advocate itself.
Influence sphere challenges – to prepare vulnerable people to defend the interests of their community, to involve them into advocacy, to empower them and CSOs that advocate them to seek that society would understand vulnerable groups and their needs.
Aim. To unite and empower Lithuanian DDP representatives and to prompt advocacy of their community‘s rights.
Purposive groups of the project – DDP who have psychosocial and health issues due to their addiction, DD women and DDPs‘ relatives.
Solution of the problem and results. Purposive group leaders who participate in studies of communication, advocacy, leadership, will gain professional knowledge, will learn to express needs and rights. By taking place in movements of advocacy, DDP will get stronger as a community. By employing professionals, society will be informed about activities of the project, there will be less stigma about DDP. With help of experts, community leaders will participate in discussions with representatives of 5 local administrations, will make problems of the community public and will seek for solutions. DDP communities will prepare a joint advocacy letter to the Lithuanian institutions. They will create FB communication systems (1 private and 1 open) where they will have a discussion. DDP will be empowered and gather into community with its leadership, communication and advocacy knowledge and skills. Needs of members will be known, as well as measures of meeting those needs in local and national levels. Representatives of partners will participate in various trainings and will discuss about NGO empowerment.
Summary of project results
Drug-dependent people in Lithuania have psycho-social and health problems and their needs have not being properly advocated in local and state levels.
The project organized focus groups, regular meetings, and round-table discussions of people who use drugs identifying their needs and then advocating in different municipalities for these needs to be heard and met.
The project''s advocacy, leadership, and communication training for the people who use drugs, the representatives of the target group gained professional knowledge and became stronger as a community. Different institutions and general society became more aware of the needs of vulnerable groups and improve services that meet their needs. The employees and volunteers of the organization received more professional theoretical and practical knowledge for services provision to the target group which improved the quality of the services provided.