25 YEARS SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST CHILDREN’S EMBASSY IN THE WORLD MEGJASHI - 25 YEARS ADVOCATING FOR MORE RIGHTFULL WORLD FOR THE CHILDREN The First Children's Embassy in the World MEGJASHI is the oldest civic organization in the Republic of Macedonia to protect the rights of the child, established on 29 April, 1992 by Gordana Pirkovska Zmijanac and Dragi Zmijanac. Megjashi advocates and protects children's rights, stands for responsible parenthood and respect for the child's personality. Megjashi continuously works on the strengthening of the civil movement for children’s rights and functionality of the institutions in the best interests of the child. Embassy promotes peace activism and volunteerism, developing active citizenship based on the principle of nonviolence.

1. 25 YEARS SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST CHILDREN’S
EMBASSY IN THE WORLD MEGJASHI - 25 YEARS ADVOCATING FOR MOR
RIGHTFULL WORLD FOR THE CHILDREN
The First Children's Embassy in the World MEGJASHI is the oldest civic organization in the
Republic of Macedonia to protect the rights of the child, established on 29 April, 1992 by
Gordana Pirkovska Zmijanac and Dragi Zmijanac. Megjashi advocates and protects children's
rights, stands for responsible parenthood and respect for the child's personality. Megjashi
continuously works on the strengthening of the civil movement for children’s rights and
functionality of the institutions in the best interests of the child. Embassy promotes peace
activism and volunteerism, developing active citizenship based on the principle of
nonviolence.
With its activities Megjashi has contributed to the development and strengthening of the civic
awareness for the children's rights. It has broken the silence of children's suffering, especially
physical, sexual and economic abuse of the children, revealing many cases of abuse to the
public and directly engaging in establishing effective mechanisms to protect the children.
As a result of the extremely dedicated and hard work during its 25 years of existence,
Megjashi has grown into a worldwide known and recognized organization for children’s
protection and children's rights in general.
In the previous period (1992-2017) the Embassy pursues its activity acting in the following
areas: psycho-social, legal and other kinds of assistance to children who need help with a
particular emphasis on the marginalized groups of children; monitoring of the children's
rights and promotion of the rights of the child in the Republic of Macedonia and abroad;
taking initiatives to promote the legislation to protect children in the Republic of Macedonia
and its implementation, as well as activities for peace building and nonviolent conflict
resolution. These domains remain of primary interest in the following period.

2. 25 YEARS OF EXISTENCE AND WORK OF THE FIRST CHILDREN’S EMBASSY IN
THE WORLD MEGJASHI - 25 YEARS OF MORE RIGHTEOUS WORLD FOR THE
CHILDREN
The most important results in the past 25 years:
1992 – 1997: During the initial stages of the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, First
Children’s Embassy appealed for support and organized sheltering of the children refugees,
directing them in destinations in foreign countries, and providing humanitarian aid and
creative activities, thereby aiding around sixty thousand refugee children.
1993 – 2007: The Embassy established the first round-the-clock SOS telephone line for
children and youth and psychological counseling in the Republic of Macedonia. In 2005 we
got the telephone number 0800 1222 by the Macedonian Telecommunication and in that way
we enabled the children to have free phone calls.
1994 – It started with lobbing for ratification of the Hague Convention for civic – legal
aspects of the international kidnaping of children. In 1995 this Convention was ratified by the
Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia.
1996 – It started a lobby for establishing the institution of Children’s Ombudsman. In 1999
the Republic of Macedonia established the Ombudsman’s office acting upon children rights.
1997 - The Embassy Megjashi was an associative member of the Defense for Children
International and formed the committee of DCI in Macedonia. In 1999 this Committee was
registered as a separate NGO supporting the children’s rights – Association for Protection of
the Children’s Rights.
1997 – 2002 - The Embassy established a Macedonian National Coalition for Children’s
Rights (28 NGOs) with a Secretariat in the Embassy Megjashi.This coalition sent an
alternative report about the situation of the rights of the child to the Committee for the rights
of the child in Geneva.
1999 - The First Children’s Embassy, acting as the national coordinator, joined the family of
Global March Against Child Labor, having an action for raising the public awareness against
the exploitation of the children’s labor, and inclusion of the children in education.
1999 – 2000 – The Embassy Megjashi gave support to the children refugees from Kosovo
giving them a protection on psycho-social area. It covered all the camps in Macedonia where
there were children refugees from Kosovo.
2000 – 2001 – It campaigned to ratify the Convention 182 and the Recommendation 190 for
emergency elimination of the worst forms of children labor. In 2002 the Assembly of the
Republic of Macedonia ratified these documents.
2001-2006- A shelter-housing crisis struck children has been established, housing 16
dislocated persons from the village of Arachinovo, 8 of which are children. Three of them

3. were bourn in the shelter. They are still in our shelter.
2001- The Embassy Megjashi won the award for civil society and democracy, for its lasting
contribution to establish democratic society in the Republic of Macedonia. The award has
been granted by MCIC.
2001 – 2004 - The Children’s Embassy Megjashi formed the Alliance of children
organizations in the Republic of Macedonia and created and published the first CODEX of
NGOs for the rights of the children in the country.2001 – 2002: The Embassy Megjashi
started an initiative to alter tax laws related to non-for-profit organizations, popularly named
1%.
2002 – 2006 – It started a program for non-violent conflict resolution in secondary
multiethnic schools in the Republic of Macedonia.
2004- The Embassy published the book “Children’s rights protection” as a review of the
condition of children in Republic of Macedonia where the author Milica Paneva suggested
certain recommendations and summary suggestions for improving the condition in which are
the children in Macedonia.
2005 – It realized a world campaign for including the children in schools “Global Campaign
for Education”, as well as a training for non-violent conflict resolution where participated
teachers and students from many multiethnic secondary schools.
2006 – The Embassy completely furnished a flat which is a living place for four youths
Fatima Aydar, Aleksandra Spasovska, Sanja Spasovska and Nadira Bayramovska until their
26 of age. The flat was given by the Ministry for Labor and Social Policy and its furnished
was financed by the Project for municipality development (PMD) from the Ministry of
Finance.
2007 | Embassy began the year with the campaign "Stop the violence over children" and
"Have you hugged your child today?" This was a reaction to the recent beating to death over
a 3- year old and six months old child. As a result of the increasing number of reporting
violence to 20% of the total number of reports of cases on our SOS helpline for children and
youth 0800 1222 which is free for all children in Macedonia.
2008 - Megjashi began the struggle against pedophilia, incest and sexual abuse of children in
Macedonia. Made numerous reactions, demands for accountability and written complaints to
the Ombudsman, the Attorney General for contempt and violation of children's rights. It
started the initiative to increase the penalties for these crimes to a minimum of 15 years to life
in prison. The efforts of advocacy and lobbying for stricter punishment of pedophiles were
accepted by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic and the penalties for sexual abuse of
children by pedophiles increased to a minimum of 10 years in prison.
2009 - Within the project "Building a Culture of Child Participation", financed by the EU and
co-financed by UNICEF were organized numerous trainings, workshops, summer camps and
other forms of encouraging children and youth to actively participate in making decisions that

4. are in their interest, and to initiate positive social change. In the final phase of the project was
organized "First National Conference on Child Participation" which was organized and led by
the children themselves.
2009 - On the occasion of the World Campaign for Education on 22 April on the square in
Skopje the children marched with banners inscribed with messages for the right of all
children to education and literacy. Fifty children had a meeting in the Assembly of the
Republic of Macedonia with the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Education,
Science and Sports and the Minister of Education and Science. The children talked and asked
questions about education and the efforts of the institutions for inclusion of all children in
education.
2010 – The Children’s Embassy initiated and organized a preparation of a Children's
Alternative Report in collaboration with children members of 7 local partner organizations. In
the same report the children expressed their opinions on a range of issues and made
recommendations to improve the situation of the children in the Republic of Macedonia. This
was the first time in the Republic of Macedonia children to prepare their report and it to be
presented to the Committee on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations. The same year,
the Children’s Embassy Megjashi organized a preparation of an alternative report by the
National Coalition for the Rights of the Child which was established by Megjashi in 1997. In
preparing of this report 21 civil society organization participated.
2010 - On 3 February, 2010, on the 54th pre-session of the Committee for Children's Rights
at the UN in Geneva, three representatives of the National Coalition for Children's Rights (23
NGOs) presented the Alternative reports on the state of children's rights in Macedonia before
the Committee members.
Two children representatives had a special meeting with the Committee members where they
presented their Children’s alternative report - prepared by the children themselves.
2011 – In the research intended for "Trust in the civil society" and "The Knowledge and
opinions of the civil society organizations" the First Children's Embassy in the World
according to respondents of the surveyed citizens is on the first place in terms of the
confidence of citizens, second as an example of the most successful organization and second
by degree of the awareness of the citizens with its existence and work.
2012 - The problems that young people face after leaving the institutions for care of children
and youth without parental care have been a motif for the First Children Embassy in the
World – Megjashi in the last several years to initiate activities in supporting the resolutions of
these problems. This year, activities for psychosocial and educational support for the
orphaned children continued. We, also, made efforts to encourage socially responsible
companies in Macedonia to employ them and give them an advantage, and if it is not possible
at least to ensure equal opportunities for them in employment.
2013 - The First Children's Embassy in the World Megjashi, as in the previous surveys (2007,
2008, 2010) is ranked first in the ratio of positive opinion of the citizens to CSOs. The report
was commissioned by the project "Technical Assistance for the Civil Society Organizations

5. (TACSO)" financed by the European Union and prepared by the Macedonian Center for
International Cooperation (MCIC).
2014 - The strong representation, advocacy and lobbying of the First Children's Embassy
Megjashi for stricter sanctioning of sexual criminals, pedophiles, especially to children under
14 years, work out. The Parliament accepted and incorporate our recommendations with
amendments in the Criminal Code. What we stood for was accepted, a drug therapy or
chemical castration, a minimum of 15 years to life imprisonment.
2014 – The First Children's Embassy in the World Megjashi is the first civil society
organization in the Republic of Macedonia that received the certificate ISO 9001: 2008 for
quality system of management.
2015 – The First Children's Embassy in the World Megjashi supported many civic initiatives:
the secondary school plenum, a group of Associations to support children and adults with
health problems and support the civil initiative group of parents introducing 50/50 split
equally, joint or shared custody and joint responsibility of both parents for proper growth and
development of their children after a divorce.
2016 - In September 2016 the First Children Embassy in the World Megjashi launched a
campaign to raise the awareness about the importance of the introduction of education for
peace / peace education in the educational institutions in the Republic of Macedonia. The
campaign was an opportunity to mobilize the public because the peace education is based on
the need for prevention of violence and the prevention of possible new clashes. Placing the
peace education as an integral part of education, starting from preschool and up will result in
the reduction of violence in schools and strengthening the capacities of teachers and students
in terms of overcoming conflicts, working out the same in a non-violent way.
2016 - Shocked by the consequences resulting from the flood in Skopje and the area around
Skopje, as well as the fact that among the victims there were children, the Children's
Embassy Megjashi appealed and informed that all its activities redirected to the aid and
support for the children affected by the floods.
In elementary school ,,Cyril and Methodius "in the village of Stajkovci the Children’s
Embassy Megjshi PHI the University Clinic of Dermatology opened a medical center where
children were checked up and were given proper medical care. The volunteers continuously
carried aid, talked with the parents, demanded for evacuation, provided medical teams, made
lists of children and called them for examination at pediatricians’, all in order to influence
preventively, to avoid epidemic or even other suffering, particularly among children.
2017 – The First Children's Embassy in the World Megjashi supports the civil initiative – The
Adopted children have the right to know who their biological parents are. The position of the
Children’s Embassy is that the children need to know their parents. It is necessary to amend
the Family Law, which will allow the adopted children to know their genetic origin, because
it is an essential element of the identity of the adopted children.
2017 - To support and raise the public awareness, especially among the younger generation

6. about the situation of their peers from Syria and all refugees in general, as well as the
highlighting of the need for solidarity and assistance to people suffering from war, the
Association of Citizens "Legis" and the Children's Embassy Megjashi launched the campaign
"Macedonia with love for Aleppo" in February 2017.
Within the Week of solidarity with the children of refugees from Syria (from 27 February,
2017 to 3 March, 2017), through a number of activities in schools, the children and young
people were presented of how to help people in distress, how to organize charity and other
forms of expressing solidarity, developing empathy, initiative, humanity and many other
values that we want to support among the children. Part of the campaign was aimed at raising
funds from citizens and businesses, as a symbolic aid from the citizens of Macedonia for the
children refugees from Syria. These activities were made in Skopje, Veles, Gostivar, Debar
and Tetovo.
A quote of the Charter of the First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjashi
“"Children are a special nation. Children are not national and religious leaders. They are a
nation who have never carried out any revolution or counterrevolution, nor wage a war.
Children are neither class nor nation issue: children are a question above all questions. They
are a nation that suffers the most in war clashes and human tragedies. CHILDREN ARE
ONLY CHILDREN. ALL IDEALS IN THE WORLD ARE LESS IMPORTANT THAN
THE TEARS OF A CHILD".
The First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjashi
+ 389 (0)2 2465 316, + 389 (0)2 2463 900, or
e-mail: first@chilrensembassy.org.mk
www.childrensembassy.org.mk