More information
Description
If you are born into extreme poverty, you are very likely to do poorly in school and then have little chance of succeeding in working life. This will increase the likelihood of your children growing up in poverty. In Slovakia, this vicious circle affects tens of thousands of people, especially in excluded Roma communities. The failure of children from Roma settlements at school is ensured as soon as they start their first year. While middle-class children quickly learn to read, write and count, Roma children begin to have a significant difficulties. In most cases, they see a book or pen for the first time in their lives and do not know how to work with them, they have not developed psychomotor or cognitive basics, they only speak Romani, they do not know numbers, colors, shapes, etc.The Omama project provides comprehensive early care to children from excluded Roma communities aged 0-6, helping to reduce the developmental slippage caused by the toxic stress that children in poverty face. Through a participatory approach, it involves the target group in solving the problem of generational poverty, as it trains and employs long-term unemployed Roma women from settlements who implement activities directly in families with children aged 0-3 years. It also strengthens the position of a vulnerable group of Roma women, who are becoming agents of change in their communities. The Omamas have lessons each week with stimulating activities for 15-20 families. Working with mothers and strengthening their parenting skills on an individual basis as well as through parent clubs once a month is key. In this project, the project promoters will expand the number of Omamas so that they can carry out an already proven activity with other children in the chosen age group.
Summary of project results
Research shows that the first 1000 days from conception are crucial for brain development. However, children from the poorest communities have few opportunities to train for example motor activity, few have educational toys or books at home, parents do not have the necessary skills. All this brings omama to families. During the implementation period, six 3-4 day trainings were carried out, focusing on early stimulation and the Play wisely method, topics from the field of psychology (emotional attachment, parental skills), pedagogy (development of executive functions), etc. During the coronavirus pandemic, 10 webinars were organized via ZOOM. The trainings were regularly attended by 16 omamas, 9 mentors and 8 representatives of civic associations. Regular stimulus activities for the age of 0-3 took place in the form of visits to families and preschool clubs employed for adaptation to kindergartens, development of social skills, and self-service activities. In each community, ca once a month (in normal operation, outside the time when COVID 19 measures were in force), parent clubs were organized where parents (usually mothers) of the involved children discussed various topics of their choice. Between July 2019 and December 2020, 76 parent clubs were organized in 11 communities, with an average of 10-12 parents participating in 1 community. The project increased the number of employed Roma women (omamas) from 4 to 16. From 3 pilot communities, the project expanded to another 8, so home visits with parents of children aged 0-3 years and preschool clubs for the age of 4-6 years were organized together in 11 communities.
The project offers a systemic solution of early education for children from MRC, necessary for their successful start at school and in life. It was mentioned in the material Modern and Successful Slovakia as an example of good practice.