Foundation Open Society Institute–Macedonia

The Foundation Open Society Institute–Macedonia ( FOSIM) aims to develop and promote activities within Macedonia that help the country meet the prerequisites for EU integration. The foundation’s priorities have been shaped at a time when EU integration seems to be moving further away, yet Europe’s influence on Macedonia grows inevitably stronger. FOSIM efforts to improve the country’s integration process included assessing the good governance potential of state institutions, working with USAID to improve Roma integration in the education system, decentralizing and increasing the effectiveness of local governments, and incorporating European values and standards across all FOSIM programs.

The following briefs describe some of the foundation’s activities and achievements in 2006.

NGOs Persuade Government to Establish FOI Commission

Efforts by 131 NGOs and FOSIM resulted in the government establishing a freedom of information (FOI) commission to implement the country’s FOI law and act as an independent appeals body for FOI requests. Foundation monitoring showed that government responses to requests from the public increased from 4 to 50 percent since the commission was formed. The government, however, responded more slowly or ignored requests for information it considered sensitive.

Roma Women Gain Access to Business Loans

Fikrija Mustafova started in business with a small stand at an open-air market. Today she is running a thriving textile import business thanks to a loan fund established by FOSIM and the Foundation Horizonti. By the close of FOSIM involvement at the end of 2006, the fund had disbursed 350 loans and trained over 430 Roma women, who as a group have little or no access to commercial loans.

Roma Children Receive Help in Education

A new foundation project provided educational services to improve academic achievement and reduce dropout rates among Roma schoolchildren. The project offers after-school supplemental lessons, free schoolbooks and supplies, and nutritious food to 1,600 Roma elementary schoolchildren attending 10 majority-population schools. Sponsored by the Dutch embassy, the project also provides training seminars for teachers of Roma students and support for local NGOs that increase Roma parental involvement in their children’s education.

Young Entrepreneurs Obtain Start-Up Funding

The foundation and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded seven start-up business plans developed by young entrepreneurs, including a proposal for a travel agency focusing on mountain bike tours and ecotourism in Macedonia that targets travelers from Croatia, the Netherlands, and Slovenia. The program will provide the entrepreneurs with business training, support services, and help in launching their businesses.