Description
Merlin Association through the Children's Center "Morning Flower'' is implementing the project ''Together to School'', designed for pre-school children of Roma and other ethnic minorities who do not speak Croatian, and come from the low income families. The Center is located in the multiethnic Vodnjan town, where not all children are enrolled in regular kindergarten programs due to the lack of kindergarten capacity. Roma children aged 5 to 6 are enrolled in the 250-hour school preparation program, which is not sufficient to learn Croatian language before starting school. Cultural differences are often the reason why Roma children are faced with discrimination and contempt from peers and the community, and one of the main reasons is their insufficient command of Croatian language and lack of preparation for school work. The aim of the project is to create equal conditions for all pre-school children, and to develop the tolerance and multicultural understanding towards national minorities. The project will be implemented for one year, through several group activities (learning Croatian language in pre-school playgroup, educational excursions and integration in local events and happenings)
Summary of project results
Pre-school aged children (3 – 6 years) in Vodnjan, mostly Roma, and partly Albanian and Bosniac, whose mother tongue is not Croatian took part in everyday six hours' pre-scool workshop, educational visits and trips and gained better language competencies and developed other abilities and skills necessary for primary school which enables them to have equal starting positions as the children from the majority group and motivates them for further schooling. In Socializing with peers from other kindergartens through joint games and activities better conditions are made for getting to know each other, better understanding and a more tolerant coexistence of the minority and majority ethnic groups. The main objective of the project was achieved: it was planned to create equal pre-school opportunities for children living in Vodnjan, and to develop the tolerance and multi-cultural understanding among different ethnic groups.
Summary of bilateral results