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Description
The project is addressed to Romani women living in social excluded localities. Through empowerment is addresses key aspects of generational poverty, related school and professional failure, and the absence of parental competence. Hackman argues that poor parenting is an important contributor to life poverty, which is mainly caused by very weak social, emotional and cognitive characteristics.
We want to strengthen the parenting role through key personalities (women from the locality), called pheňora. They will become leaders and will develop the parental competencies of the mothers during the implemented sessions whose contents are activities aimed at the development of the personalities of the children in all its necessary aspects.
The pheňori will have a mentor who will help them to prepare the lessons and support them in their work in the locality or with the mother. The Pheňori will teach mother, how to educate child, help her with her problems or will help to contact professionals when there are fluctuations in the children''s development.
The lessons are aimed to develop abilities and skills that which are mostly described by professionals as causes of school failure, such as poor emotional maturity, poor fine and gross motor skills, poor reading skills, or poor cognitive expression. Except home meeting mother will meet in monthly events which are lead by experts in child care or education.
Summary of project results
The project was addressed to Romani people in the SVL because a key factor in their generational poverty was school and professional failure and the absence of parental competence. These were the causes of very weak social, emotional, and cognitive qualities.
We aimed to strengthen parental competencies through empowerment, focusing on developing key personalities (women from the local community called Pheňori) who supported mothers in improving their parental skills and helped develop the child’s personality in all its essential aspects through targeted lessons.
As a result, the project planted the seed for critical skill development necessary for future success in personal and professional life, initiating change in mindset and approach.
The project addressed generational poverty, exclusion, disadvantage, and related consequences through empowerment. It focused on developing, educating, and empowering residents of the SVL, specifically key community personalities – local women known as Pheñori, the mothers of young children, and the children themselves.
Through the activities of the Pheñori (4 newly trained lecturers) the project actively involved mothers in direct interventions aimed at developing their children''s cognitive and social functions while simultaneously strengthening their parenting competencies. This approach helped raise awareness of the importance of adequate education for children aged 0–3 years.
Inspired by Nobel Prize-winner James Heckman’s concept of the early years as a “levelling factor,” the project emphasized the formative period of productivity (ages 0–5), when the brain develops rapidly and cognitive as well as character skills are formed—skills crucial for future success in education, health, career, and life.
The Pheñori were continuously trained in both quality and practical methods by professionals and experts. Each Pheñori was also paired with a middle-class mentor who offered support, guidance, and friendship rather than supervision.
The Pheñori worked directly in the homes of mothers, building trusting relationships as confidantes, friends, and mentors. During weekly sessions, they provided mothers with structured lessons containing knowledge and tasks aimed at supporting the children’s socio-cognitive development, which the mothers then implemented through guided activities at home.
Over the course of the project, a total of 26 parents and 30 children took part, directly benefiting from the activities and support provided
The Pheñori project achieved significant outcomes for Romani families in Ostrava, particularly for mothers and their children aged 0–3. It fundamentally shifted community attitudes toward early childhood by breaking down the misconception that very young children are not capable of perceiving or responding to their environment.
Parents increasingly recognized the importance of active engagement in their children''s development. The impact of the project was seen in two key areas: the tangible developmental progress of the children and the strong, trust-based relationships built between the Pheñori and the mothers.
The children''s observable progress—social, cognitive, and emotional—was a primary source of motivation and validation for participating families, confirming the importance of early stimulation and parental involvement.