Slovenia has only 2 million inhabitants but it is divided in 212 municipalities. Main suport is localised in bigger cities, but in smaller communities there is greater danger of exposure of drug users, and support is not easily available. Our goal is to rise awareness about an opioid antagonist Naloxone, and to organize education for local community workers, with technical support od EuroNPUD. Our emphasis will be on most vunerable social groups as sex workers, homeless and immigrants.

Our emphasis will be on smaller communities in Northern, Eastern and South Slovenia.

Our current government is rigth wing and it tends to ignore small, vunerable social groups. That is the reason our emphasis is on them. We have learned in last months that only local people helping each other can make a change. We want to educate individuals as representatives of immigrants, sex workers and homeless about peer-to-peer distribution of Naloxone, so it will become available in all the municipalities in Slovenia, with help of social media. There we will provide anonymous registration for drug users, with support and information about harm reduction and prevention of death among people who use drugs. Obviously help from officials is limited to main groups of drug users and mainly in the capital city.

In last 20 years we are part of the local community, helping those in need, mostly working without any or with little funds. We are working on changing drug related policies into form suitable to help PWUD survive. But lately the right wing politics in the time of Covid 19 proved us, there will be no help for vunerable social groups. So we decided we have to help each other. And our years of experience and involvement will enable us to do so.

We are allready working with local community to rise awareness about peer-to-peer Naloxone distribution and education. But with funds, we will be able to get Peer trainers and regular Naloxone distribution to Slovenia. And with funds we will create internet site where all the drug users will be able to register anonymously. There they will get all the support and information about harm reduction. Then we will educate local drug users for Peer trainers and distributors od Naloxone, and we will organize transport to all smaller communities in Slovenia, so every person will get access to Naloxone, no matter from which group or from how small town they are. Our emphasis will be on these groups which don't get any support from the government, as sex workers, homeless and immigrants.

For us, success will be, if one year from now, there will be at least one person in each small community in Slovenia, and in all of the marginalized groups one representative, that is educated Peer worker, and that they will rise awareness about peer-to-peer Naloxone. We want to achive that every drug user in Slovenia, no matter where he comes from, have access to Naloxone, and that there is somebody, who knows how to use it. And with the help of social media, we can achive that no question is taboo, and that we can openly talk about harm reduction and live normal Life, no matter what we do in the free time. Of course, with the cooperation with national supporters.

Our main goal is to include participants od our local communities, to train them to be Peer trainers and distributors od Naloxone. Emphasis will be on social groups which are excluded from government focus, or even ignored. Nowadays in Slovenia our government doesn't want to even admit existance od such a groups among us. For example, immigrants are locked inside some housings, with their own dealer of opioids, without any official health support or knowledge about harm reduction for drug users. We are part of communities, and because our organization includes drug users and people on substitution drugs, we have their thrust, and so we will be able to access those groups, and train them to be able to help others. And with the social media, we will reach most remote parts of our country.

In last three years we try to implement and develop peer-to-peer Naloxone use in Slovenia. We are working with national supporters and using our own connections to help. But, as we are part of drug users community, each day we hear and see stories about events among individuals from some vunerable social groups, especcialy after the Covid 19. With organized education and Naloxone distribution to these marginalized groups, we could prevent a lot of harm and we could gain more thrust on their side, by helping those who government ignores. This is our country, and we are proud to be part of it, and we want to keep Slovenia social and democratic country. No matter what is current government politics.

Direct costs: transportation 2500€, supply 1000€, training (opioid overdose prevention, management and Naloxone training programme) 3500€, Naloxone costs and technical assistance cost 6000€, office, internet and electricity cost 3000€, office supply 1000€
Advocacy and communication costs: printing of educational material 2000€, participation in internationale Harm reduction conference 3500€, internet site and social media development 3500€, transport vehicle 4000€

We would be very happy if you would share your own experiences about simmilar problems or situations from your country. Slovenia is small, but lately very divided, and we would appreciate all the help se can get. Your experiences will be precious for us.