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Description
The project aims to increase the capacity of vulnerable groups in 8 rural interethnic communities in Romania for a period of 18 months, being implemented by an NGO with over 20 years of experience in community development and advocacy. The problem addressed is the low involvement of citizens in the life of the communities they belong to and in decision making. The project has a "bottom-up" approach emphasizing the use of existing resources at the local level and the formation of active voices to put the needs of disadvantaged groups on the agenda of the authorities. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the negative attitude towards the Roma has increased, and this type of intervention contributes to the improvement of the image that the Roma have. The project is in line with the vision of the Roma Inclusion Strategy for the period 2021-2027 aiming at consolidating active citizenship. There will be community facilitation activities
in 8 communities materialized in 8 local representation groups formed and mobilized, and subsequently formalized in NGOs. At the end of the project, 80 members of vulnerable groups will have increased skills to respond to challenges related to community involvement, self-esteem, relationships with local authorities, public policies for Roma, local action plans and project writing. 8 advocacy campaigns will be carried out, and 440 people will be mobilized to get involved in community life. 24 teachers will be trained in intercultural education and Roma history through accredited courses. 120 students will learn about Roma history and 240
students will participate in intercultural education activities. 200 students will participate in 6 competitions organized by the 8 NGOs: football competition, painting contest, debate on the contribution of Roma, countryside celebration, humanitarian campaign to support the elderly and ecology campaign.
Summary of project results
The project „We are no different, Together we can change our community" aimed to increase the capacity of vulnerable groups in 8 rural interethnic communities in Romania for a period of 18 months, being implemented by an NGO with over 20 years of experience in community development and advocacy. The problem addressed is the low involvement of citizens in the life of the communities they belong to and in decision making. The project had a "bottom-up" approach emphasizing the use of existing resources at the local level and the formation of active voices to put the needs of disadvantaged groups on the agenda of the authorities. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the negative attitude towards the Roma has increased, and this type of intervention contributes to the improvement of the image that the Roma have. The project was in line with the vision of the Roma Inclusion Strategy for the period 2021-2027 aiming at consolidating active citizenship. There were implemented community facilitation activities in 8 communities materialized in 8 local representation groups formed and mobilized, and subsequently formalized in NGOs. At the end of the project, 80 members of vulnerable groups had increased their skills to respond to challenges related to community involvement, self-esteem, relationships with local authorities, public policies for Roma, local action plans and project writing. 8 advocacy campaigns were carried out, and 440 people will be mobilized to get involved in community life. 24 teachers were trained in intercultural education and Roma history through accredited courses. 120 students learned about Roma history and 240 students will participate in intercultural education activities. 200 students participated in 6 competitions organized by the 8 NGOs: football competition, painting contest, debate on the contribution of Roma, countryside celebration, humanitarian campaign to support the elderly and ecology campaign
The project had an extremely successful course, with the successful implementation of all planned activities according to the activity schedule. The project achieved its main goal of empowering members of Local Initiative Groups (LIGs) in various aspects of community life. First, 49 members of vulnerable groups benefited from training and personal development activities, gaining increased skills to face challenges related to community involvement, self-esteem, relationship with local authorities, public policies for Roma, development of local action plans and project writing. During the project, 8 advocacy campaigns were successfully carried out at the local and county level, drawing attention to some significant aspects and mobilizing 661 people to get actively involved in the life of the community. These campaigns had a positive impact on public awareness and generated beneficial changes at the local level. Within the project, 24 teachers were trained in intercultural education and Roma history through accredited courses, which contributed to increasing the level of understanding and tolerance in the school environment. Thus, 237 students learned about Roma history, and over 260 students participated in intercultural education activities, promoting diversity and inclusiveness among young people. Also, the project included 6 competitions organized by the 8 established GILs, bringing the community together in a spirit of healthy competition and active involvement. The students participated in various competitions, such as a football competition, a painting competition, a debate on the contribution of the Roma, a country celebration and a humanitarian campaign to support the elderly. These events contributed to strengthening community ties and promoting social values. In conclusion, the project had a significant and lasting impact on the community.
During the reporting period, community development activities, including the formation of initiative groups, the identification and prioritization of needs within the 8 communities, as well as the preparation of group members, had a significant impact on achieving the project’s objectives: 1) the creation and mobilization of 8 interethnic representation and action groups in 8 rural communities over a period of 18 months, and 2) increasing the involvement of 440 people from vulnerable groups (Roma and non-Roma) in the community life of the 8 interethnic rural communities over 18 months. A total of 8 interethnic initiative groups were established and mobilized, covering the two counties involved, Giurgiu and Tulcea, for a period of 18 months. Members of these groups actively participated in various training sessions, developing the skills and competencies needed to act as effective intermediaries between local authorities and the community. They became an effective mechanism for representation and involvement in the life of their respective communities. Based on an analysis of identified needs and priorities, 8 local action plans were developed and implemented, one for each locality. These plans served as a guide for advocacy campaigns and local initiatives, contributing to improving the lives of 440 vulnerable people (Roma and non-Roma) in the 8 rural communities over a period of 18 months.
As a result of this community development program, we observed a significant increase in the capacity of 8 NGOs, which now have the ability to bring considerable benefits to our community. These organizations will not only implement essential voluntary actions but will also be able to attract funding for their initiatives. It is crucial to focus our efforts and resources on Roma organizations as well, as the Roma movement has experienced a significant decline in recent years. I firmly believe that empowering these organizations will bring long-term benefits to our community. This work does not end here; it is essential to continue this program and launch additional funds to support small and developing NGOs.