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Description
Lithuania is one of the leading countries in the European Union in terms of the risk of social exclusion and poverty of the population. Roma community in particular stands out as a risk group that not only lives in unfavorable economic and social conditions, but also suffers negative public perceptions. There is a strong segregation of this group in the society - 63 percent of the country''s population would not want to live in a Roma neighborhood. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the Lithuanian Roma community, together with its partners, initiated the project I CAN, which is focused on strengthening one of the most vulnerable groups in society - the Roma.
The main goal of I CAN project is to empower Roma community by promoting their social inclusion. The aim of this project is not only to enable Roma to become more actively involved in local community activities, but also to promote the dialogue between Roma and non-Roma, thus reducing negative attitudes in society. The target group of the GALIU project is Roma living in Vilnius region (Vilnius city and Salcininkai district municipalities), Siauliai and Marijampole regions.
During the project, Roma community will be encouraged to engage in voluntary activities, develop social business concepts and implement intercultural dialogue events that will bring Lithuanian and Roma cultures closer. The project will be carried out with the active involvement of local communities and civil society organizations. During the project, the empowerment measures will reach 300 Roma in three regions of the country, and 410 000 residents of the country will be aware of the existing issue of Roma exclusion. Four organizations working with vulnerable groups will also strengthen their capacity to increase the impact of their activities on the groups they represent.