Interview: Dragi Zmijanac, MA, Executive Director and Co-founder of the First Children’s Embassy in the world “Medjashi”

The civil sector got under my skin

The civil sector has the biggest legitimacy when the target group entrusts the mandate.
Dragi Zmijanac is the Executive Director and Co-founder of the First Children’s Embassy in the world “Medjashi”. Before he worked in the civil sector, he had obtained a Master’s degree in Defence and from 1983 to 1991 worked as a Theory of war assistant at the Institute of Defence at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje. He has been a part of the Children’s Embassy “Medjashi” since 1992.

He has three children and his wife, Gordana Pirkovska – Zmijanac, is his best associate. He considers the Embassy “Medjashi” not to be just a professional engagement, but everything – work, private life, hobby, recreation, making friends...The Medjashi’s beginnings are his, too, but, as he says, at the time he did not plan to deal with this professionally. The enthusiasm from the beginning of the ‘90s has not stopped yet, or as he says “I got hooked on the civil sector”. We have talked to Dragi Zmijanac about the current issues in the Embassy “Medjashi”, but also about his views on the civil sector in Macedonia.

 

“Medjashi” has recently been mentioned in relation to proposing solutions in the legal regulations in order to reconcile our legislation with the European and the international regulations for protection of human rights and child’s rights. What was Medjashi’s role?

 

The Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Women Equality of the Republic of Macedonia –ESE and the First Children’s Embassy in the world “Medjashi”, supported by 16 civil associations, have taken some concrete actions in terms of proposing solutions in the field of family, social protection and children’s protection. The proposal-amendments that refer to this issue have been prepared by Jasminka Frishchic from ESE and Milica Paneva from FCEW Medjashi. We, together with ESE, have insisted this law to be passed in a regular procedure, taking into consideration the complexity of the family-legal issue and the need for building appropriate solutions for domestic violence, then amending the regulations for providing children’s rights, as well as amendments in the part of monitoring parents’ rights, adoption and law procedures. This initiative was supported by the Members of the Parliament, but considering the given explanation by the Minister, the law has been passed in an urgent procedure.

What encouraged us and imposed the need to act in this direction are the facts that we have on the basis of ten-year functioning of our SOS-phone. In this period there have been 14.656 calls and 8.412 talks. The analysis has shown that the number of those who report domestic problems and violence is growing. In comparison with 1993/94 when the percentage of those who phoned as a result of domestic problems was 8,7%, last year this percentage grew to 18,5%.

When we talk about children’s rights protection, “Medjashi” already has experience in lobbying state institutions to ratify international conventions. In 2000 we proposed to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy to be a proposer of the Convention 182 and the Reference 190 for urgent prevention of children’s labor abuse. After the long walk through the labyrinths of administration, on 23 January 2002 it was ratified in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia.

 

A while ago “Medjashi” worked on non-violent conflict resolution, how far did you get with these activities?

 

A few months ago we revised our strategic plan for the next 5 years and one of the five strategic goals is work with pupils and pedagogical staff in the field of non-violent conflict resolution. In this period we are having workshops where pupils from the Medical High-school “D-r Panche Karagozov” from Skopje take part, of mixed ethnicity – Macedonians and Albanians. We are planning to expand these activities by involving other high-school centers where young people of mixed ethnicity study. Workshops are focused on several topics from the field of non-violent communication, for example, trust building, team work, conflicts understanding and elaboration, role of sexes in the society...In order to get to know each other better, pupils initiate visits to churches and mosques, they organize common ecological actions to brighten up the school yard and the environment.

Some of the teachers who have previously been trained for non-violent conflict resolution are involved in this project. They have self-initiatively organized tribunes and meetings thus making space for discussion with other teachers about current problems they are facing while working.

 

You have recently become a member of the National Counseling Group for Civikus (Civil Society Index in Macedonia) that will give its opinion on the civil society in Macedonia – what is your opinion?

 

I notice the civil sector establishing and professionalization. A lot has been done in recruitment and training of the staff and volunteers. A lot has been invested in keeping human resources in the sector. Civil organizations certainly do not always have a financial capacity to rely on professionally engaged people and they simultaneously practice volunteerism. Volunteers are very often high educated and they enable the civil sector to engage and involve experts and motivated people in the activities. Fortunately, I also notice culture on civil initiative for changing things in the society. Citizens associate themselves more and more to realize their common interests and objectives based on certain values that are generally accepted by the citizens.

I would also like to point out that in the past period the civil sector faced a serious problem to impose its strategic choices to donators. Very often, its role was to be rather a performer of donors’ programs than managing to impose a program given by the target group. Actually, the civil sector has the biggest legitimacy when the target group entrusts the mandate.
 

“Medjashi” relies on engaging volunteers to a great extent. How do you motivate them?
 

We always start from the fact that we need motivated volunteers where we will invest in and award them. Not volunteers that we will award in order to motivate them. Certainly this is not simple to practice, but experience confirms that enthusiasm and good will to do something for the community without compensation is big motivation for volunteers. And we certainly award it including them in our program for training volunteers, their participation at seminars, our reference for their further professional engagement and the most consistent and persistent are involved in projects and programs management. It is very interesting that our approach towards volunteers is informal and they are the ones who show interest. Namely, we do not have a special system for recruitment or advertisements for new volunteers. Most often they hear about us from the already involved volunteers. They stay as our volunteers for a long time. Some of them often find a job in international organisations or companies. We still keep in touch with them and they are good lobbyists that provide good basis for co-operation and concrete results and successes.

I would define the secret of a big number of volunteers as following. We function as a family, with lots of love and understanding and we accept initiatives from younger ones. They are actually our driving force. Youth ennobles every kind of space. Therefore we always are and we will remain a movement for children’s rights protection.

 

“Medjashi” is the first winner of the Award for Civil Society and Democracy, for long-year contribution. This month MCIC has given the award for the fourth time. Did this award given four years ago have any influence?

 

I experience the Award for long-year achievements and special contribution in the civil society and democratic values that we received in 2001 as an acknowledgement and confirmation of the dedication received by the colleagues from the civil sector. The award had motivating influence and I can confirm with great pleasure that it encouraged us to deal with the challenges that civil organisations in Macedonia are facing. Especially with the challenge of self-sustainability. That is why I am happy with the fact that next year the Ministry of Finance is intending to accept our proposal-amendments of the Law on personal tax and Law on gain, popularly known as 1%.