Description
The municipality of Salcuta must cope with several factors accelerating poverty, including early school leaving and low education among the members of the community. These factors, along with poor living conditions, are placing a high number of children and youth from Salcuta, especially Roma, at risk. Members of the Roma community Mirza have in general low-income; low education (90% has 4-7 years of schooling; family members abroad (20 families) or are single parents. The main objective of the project is to improve access to educational programs and to avoid school dropout for 75 Roma children through integrated services for both children and their parents.The Day Care Center for Roma children, which will be established through the project, will serve both children and adults: 75 children will benefit from educational and recreational programs while 150 parents and grandparents will be involved in parent education.
Summary of project results
Sălcuța Commune, situated in Dolj County, has a significant Roma population, clustered especially in the Mârza village. Although there are a kindergarden, a primary and lower secondary school, children, especially Roma children, abandon school (as a consequence of their parents migranting abroad), have high rates of absenteeism and poor school performance. The school attendance is lower for children in gymnazium, as girls are kep at home for fear of not to be “stolen” and children help parents with work. Kindergarten attendance is lower in the winter or in period with bad weather. Parents do not support the education of their children. The project aimed to improve access to education and prevent school abandonment of children. A day centre has been rehabilitated, including with an annexed building and an outdoor playground, and equipped. A number of 14 specialist and volunteers, out of which 7 Roma, have been trained in working with children from vulnerable groups. 75 children, all Roma, have benefitted from integrated support measures: educational support for 3 groups of children – 23 of kindergarten age, 23 from primary school and 29 from lower secondary school, psychological counselling, leisure activities, vocational counselling (for children in secondary education). A number of 150 parents, all Roma, have attended “Parents’ school” activities, on topics such as: communication with their children, sexual education, fears of children, discipline and aggressiveness at children, family role models, role of parents in supporting children building up their dreams. Parents benefitted also from psychological counselling. An Action Plan has been developed to implement at local level anti-discrimination measures, inclusive values and practices, to promote equal opportunities for disadvantaged groups. The project contributed to prevention of school abandonment among children and increasing parents’s degree of information and awareness regarding the importance of education for their children, in Mârza Village, Sălcuța Commune.
Summary of bilateral results