Vision of HOPS: A society where human rights and freedoms of all people are equally respected and they enjoy social, health and economic wellbeing.
Mission of HOPS: Promotion, respect and protection of human rights and freedoms due to advancement of health and socioeconomic status of all people, especially drug users, sex workers and other marginalized communities based on the principles of harm reduction, through equal access to services, community empowerment, capacity building, researches, analyses and advocacy.
HOPS – Healthy Options Project Skopje is a civil society organization that has actively implemented its programs and activities in Skopje and other cities in Republic of Macedonia, since 1997. In 1997 it introduced the first needle exchange program for prevention of HIV/AIDS among drug users and their families in R. Macedonia and three year later, in 2000, it began implementing the first program for support of sex workers in Skopje.
Since then, it has successfully developed and implemented programs for reduction of drug related harm, prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, as well as programs for social inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized communities in the country.
Healthy Options Project Skopje (HOPS) is the recipient of the 2010 International Award for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights awarded by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network – www.aidslaw.ca and Human Rights Watch – www.hrw.org.
Marginalized communities and concerned parties that HOPS works with
In its actions, HOPS primarily conducts its activities in order to improve the status of drug users and sex workers, as well as all other marginalized groups in the society and in this context they all are direct users or target groups in the operations of the organization.
On the other hand, HOPS also provides support for forming and operating of other civic associations in Skopje and throughout Macedonia, which have similar mission as HOPS and which have potential to work with similar target groups. HOPS acts as a mentor and helper in the functioning of these associations and in their better approach to users.
In its efforts for advocacy, creation, modification and adoption of policies in favor of drug users and sex workers as well as other marginalized groups, HOPS cooperates with public institutions – policymakers (for example, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy), donors and international organizations that are present in Macedonia and work in the same field.