SONCE was established in 1996 as an informal self-help group of the Roma community in Tetovo. The group functioned by collecting voluntary contributions from the Roma families, which were then distributed again to the Roma community for urgent needs (education, health, etc).
One year later, in the summer 1997, SONCE was visited by representatives of the Roma Participation Program - RPP, Open Society Institute – OSI. RPP – OSI representatives made suggestions for formal registration of SONCE as an association of citizens and for support of SONCE’s activities by RPP. After this, in 1997 SONCE was officially registered as an association of citizens and with the RPP – OSI support started and to date is functioning as a Centre of the Roma Community in Tetovo.
After the registration SONCE acted through humanitarian activities and projects on contenting existential, humanitarian and social needs of Roma and other endangered societal groups and individuals. SONCE acted in this way by 1999, when the Macedonian Government adopted a decision for all the companies and associations of citizens to re-register. Thus SONCE was re-registered on 21 April 1999 with a decision REG-ZGF. No 121/99 by the Basic Court – Tetovo.
When the Kosovo/a crisis arose, that also caused crisis in Macedonia, SONCE worked on addressing of the new problems. In this period SONCE grew significantly in terms of human and material resources, as a result of the grown intensity of work and citizens’ and donors’ interest for help. In the same period SONCE also developed its network of partnerships with donors, NGOs, governmental institutions and other organizations and structures. During 1999-2000 SONCE worked on the needs of the refugees, their hosts and socially endangered families. Over 2000 tones of food, clothes, hygiene materials, etc were distributed, as well as financial means for the families.
During the refugee crisis and the most dynamic activities, the needs of the Roma population in the state were identified. The need for existence and acting of such organized forms as SONCE was also evident. The humanitarian work and the permanent contact with the target group was a basis for SONCE’s work transformation. From work on urgent humanitarian needs the organization traversed to development programs for sustainable improvement of the conditions and situations of the target group. The new contacts and gained experience of the membership created the future vision of the organization for its proper and sustainable development. This started the third phase of the work as an organization which works programmatically on permanent and sustainable solution of the Roma problems. SONCE’s work from 2000 to 2005 was based on a Strategic Plan for this period, developed in cooperation with an experienced volunteer from the Allied German Caritas. The work was directed towards projects that would offer sustainable solutions of the socio-economic problems of the Roma population, work on Roma women’s issues and work on the young Roma needs. On membership initiative, during February 2005, a Women’s Organization was established as part of SONCE, and during 2001 a Youth Forum was also established. This way, SONCE turned into multi-functional organization with numerous and diverse membership. During this development period SONCE’s membership also had transformation, in which the initial members were actively monitoring the processes at the organization, but they also left space for work to the new generation of members of the organization.
Through all the years of existence SONCE was supported for its committed work and the well being of the Roma population in Macedonia by RPP-OSI. This program funds SONCE’s activities through institutional support from 2001-2005. It enables the organization to be permanently open to the target group and to act upon the Roma population needs, as well as to lobby and advocate for the Romapopulation in front of the relevant stakeholders on local, national and international level.
In 2005 SONCE identified its need for further restructuring of the organization in order to face the new challenges of the context in which it works. It also identified the need for development of a new strategic plan for the work of the organization. A General Assembly was held on 8 October 2005, at which the new structure of SONCE was established and directions of SONCE’s work were given. On this basis this new strategic plan for the organization was developed through a participatory process involving various structures of the organization and the Roma population.
