In Vivo – from a group of enthusiasts to a functional association

6 May 2019

The Civil Society Resource Centre (CSRC) can be a key link for an organization to strengthen and make important social changes. Such was the case with the Association of Citizens for Social and Economic Development In Vivo from Skopje.

Who are In Vivo?

They are a group of seven enthusiasts with different professions. It was actually the different experiences that motivated them to establish an association that would contribute to dignified socio-economic conditions and inclusion of vulnerable groups in the spheres of social life.

What kind of support has the CSRC offered to them?

The CSRC has supported the association in the founding process, providing advice on registering and a better understanding of the CSOs’ functioning in the country. This was especially important given that the founders had no prior experience in the civil society sector.

After the establishment, several members of In Vivo visited CSRC training and gained the necessary pre-knowledge of: good governance of civil society organisations, institutional development and organisational strengthening, transparency and accountability, networking, partnerships and coalition building.

What is the organisation doing?

One of the main goals of the association is to develop more models of social entrepreneurship in which marginalized groups of citizens, including homeless people, will be engaged. They will also conduct activities for informal education for occupations that are demanded in the labour market, and will cooperate with other associations, social enterprises and socially responsible businesses from the country and abroad.

What are the plans for the future of In Vivo?

The association is already working on its first project called Yoda, comprised of three programs: informal education for homeless people from the Skopje region; working engagement for the persons involved in the informal education program; and involving people with the best results from the first two programs in the process of (re)socialization of other homeless persons.

“At the request of one of the beneficiaries who is an active participant in the informal education program, we are finishing the preparations for his professional engagement in the production and sale of bio-humus. This will also be our first initiative in social entrepreneurship, on which we intend to dedicate ourselves very seriously” stated the association.

The GRC supported the association in the implementation of this program by providing the premises of the resource center in Skopje for organising the trainings for the persons involved in the program. The Civil Society Resource Center will continue to support the association in the future through the services it provides, which are available to all civil society organisations.

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