Who we are
The Association STRONGER TOGETHER are a community-based association of people living with HIV in North Macedonia that provide support to people living with HIV and strive to improve the quality of their lives.
Our members are people living with HIV and their close supporters. The Association STRONGER TOGETHER bring together people that differ in their sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic background, religious conviction, social and educational status, political orientation, and on many other grounds.
Full name:
Association for Support of People Living with HIV – STRONGER TOGETHER Skopje
Short name:
Association STRONGER TOGETHER Skopje
Vision
We are driven by the vision of a society where people living with HIV have a dignified and content life, free from the grips of stigma and discrimination and where they have continuous access to comprehensive healthcare, treatment and therapy for HIV and for other health conditions, following the cutting-edge scientific achievements.
Mission
We act for the empowerment of people living with HIV as equal members of society, for the respect of their dignity and for the enforcement of their health and human rights.
In particular, we work for a continuous access to contemporary antiretroviral therapy and comprehensive treatment for HIV and for HIV-related or non-related conditions, following the cutting-edge scientific achievements.
How we operate
The Association STRONGER TOGETHER operate in the following 4 major areas:
SUPPORT
Support services (peer, psychosocial and legal) and empowerment activities for people living with HIV in North Macedonia
HIV TESTING
Free HIV testing and counselling services at the HIV testing station in our Debar Maalo office
POLICIES
Advocating for the rights of people living with HIV, especially with regard to their access to a quality modern therapy, and their participation in the public policy design on HIV, public health and healthcare
MOBILISATION
Mobilisation and public awareness raising about HIV, in order to curtail the prejudice, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, and to foster a culture of regular HIV testing
Capacity building and facilitating the national HIV response
Every now and then, the Association STRONGER TOGETHER organise activities aimed at building the capacities of healthcare workers and other professionals in relation to HIV. Moreover, we initiate and facilitate expert consultation processes regarding treatment and prevention, as well as management of the national HIV response.
Working in partnerships
We believe that successful changes can only be achieved by joint efforts; we support and work in partnership with other civil society organisations that share values similar to ours and work for the achievement of a common goal.
Cooperation and speaking up
In our advocacy work, we nurture the cooperation with institutions and we invest in it; however, we never fail to raise our voices in the public whenever the situation requires so.
Values and principles
The basic principles guiding the operations and actions of the Association STRONGER TOGETHER include:
– equality and non-discrimination,
– mutuality and solidarity,
– participation,
– confidentiality,
– impartiality and independence,
– transparency,
– lawfulness of operations.
The Association STRONGER TOGETHER acknowledge and take into consideration the specific needs of people living with HIV coming from different sub-groups and communities affected by HIV, and in particular women, gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, trans persons, heterosexual men, as well as members of various ethnic communities.
The Association STRONGER TOGETHER acknowledge and within their operations take into consideration the specific problems and needs of the community of gay and bisexual men and trans persons, as well as the wider population of men who have sex with men, as a community or the population that is disproportionally and dominantly affected by HIV in the Republic of Macedonia; this community or population includes the largest number of people living with HIV who are not yet aware of their HIV status and who have no access to therapy and healthcare.
The Association strive to ensure adequate governing representation of the community of gay and bisexual men and trans persons.
In their actions, the Association STRONGER TOGETHER are guided by the following principles:
– Implementation of equal opportunity policies, providing the fairest possible balance and representation of all people living with HIV in all areas of their activity;
– Promotion and consistent application of the principles of national and cultural rights to equality and diversity between all people living with HIV;
– Promotion of harmony, cooperation, knowledge-, experience- and information- exchange, teamwork, culture of dialogue and communication;
– Preservation of independence and taking actions that are in line with our vision, mission, objectives and principles;
– Designing, setting and monitoring measurable indicators to help monitor the activities and evaluate the results, thus becoming more transparent and more responsible both to the members and to the community of people living with HIV in the Republic of Macedonia, to the authorities and to the donors;
– Transparency and accountability, informing the public about the activities, sources and methods of funding, application of positive laws, regulations and other national and international standards and rules.
History
The Association STRONGER TOGETHER were founded in 2009 as a community-based support and activism group of people living with HIV within the framework of the HERA association, and in December 2013, following the Constitutional Assembly of 5 October 2013, they were registered as an association in their own right.