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Description
The general objective of this project is to increase the access and quality of integrated educational and health services for Roma and to increase the inclusion and to combat any form of discrimination against the Roma in the city of Săcueni. The specific objectives of the project are the following: OS1. Increasing the access and participation in education of 425 Roma students by providing a more attractive teaching process; OS2 Improving the health services by providing medical services through the setting-up of medical clinic and a dental clinic; OS3 Promoting social inclusion and combating discrimination of Roma in the city of Săcueni. This project is in accordance with the context and the objective of the project call “ENHANCING ROMA INCLUSION AND EMPOWERMENT” by involving students in innovative educational activities and by providing basic and dental medical services for the target group. At the same time, this project contributes to combating discrimination against Roma communities and facilitating the inclusion of Roma by training trainers in the fields of education, health, social assistance on anti-discrimination issues and by organizing an awareness raising campaign on anti-discrimination issues. Within the project, two compulsory groups will be targeted: 425 Roma children and 20 specialists in the fields of education involved in working with Roma people. The two optional target groups are the following: 500 persons, members of the community belonging to the majority population and 12 persons from the fields of education, health, social assistance, as well as young people working with Roma people. The problems faced by the Roma (low education, poor living conditions, very high risk of social exclusion) are complex and, therefore, require an integrated approach. The present project proposes complex measures, which are interconnected, in order to contribute to solving the specific needs of the target groups.
Summary of project results
The project addressed a complex social situation that is primarily generated by the marginalization of the Roma community. The proportion of the Roma population in the town of Săcueni is 23%, and this community faces low education levels, poor living conditions, and an increased risk of social exclusion. This situation has undesirable effects that lead to difficult access to quality education and health services, as well as to other social services, with dramatic consequences, especially for Roma children, who are much more likely to drop out of school than their peers from other ethnicities. Thus, the project started from a concerning local reality, namely that over 90% of absences from local educational institutions are of Roma children.
Another component of the project involved setting up and equipping a general medicine office and a school dental office, which will benefit school-aged and preschool children in the town of Săcueni.
The social integration of Roma individuals was also promoted through a local awareness campaign regarding the effects of discrimination and the promotion of Roma culture. Through the partner organization Érhangja, a local media association, a media campaign was conducted that included radio and TV shows, podcasts, and printed articles promoting the project''s values. This campaign also had a component of inclusion and empowerment of the Roma, as 32 young Roma volunteers received training in the field of media.
In the long term, the school population of the town of Săcueni will benefit from the infrastructure necessary for quality educational and medical services, which will lead to an improvement in the quality of life for both Roma individuals and the general population.