More information
Description
Many rural town halls are unable to offer the necessary services to vulnerable groups, because public employees are either too few or insufficiently trained, and they do not work together for an effective case management. Such is the situation in Coroieni (Maramures county), a commune with 2470 people, out of whom 700 are severely impoverished Roma.
The project aims to (1) produce systemic changes in the way public services for vulnerable groups in Coroieni are delivered and accessed, in order to facilitate social inclusion, decrease inequalities and develop the entire community; (2) use the direct experience to improve national public policy regarding integrated community services.
The project involves public employees in applying a horizontal (social services-education-health) and vertical (local-county-national) collaboration model to help them solve vulnerable groups’ severe/urgent problems; creates interaction routines among actors, to sustain this collaboration in the future and in other communities; documents the process and formulates public policy recommendations, and informs county and national authorities through constant communication and advocacy.
In parallel, it increases community members’ capacity to access public services, through remedial education, personal development and leadership training for children and youth, health education for mothers and women, by mobilizing a Local Initiative Group and by organizing community events that create positive interactions between people with different socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicity.
Reality Check has direct experience in community development in Coroieni, in policy evaluation and advocacy. Coroieni Town Hall involves the integrated local team and makes sure that the systemic changes proposed are applied. New Horizons brings experience in team building and leadership, community organization and literacy, and PeStop contributes with expertise in health and hygiene education.