Description
In response to a high early-drop-out risk at national level and in the context of a Union-wide target to cut down on drop-out rates to levels as low as 10% by 2020, the Adina Foundation undertakes to implement the project "I, an Oltenia-Based Peasant, Need an Education". The specific objective of this project is to keep in the educational system as many as 220 children from rural Goiesti and Farcas in the county of Dolj, South- West of Romania. The results of the project will target primarily quantity and quality changes in the provision of educational and parental counseling services, including via two new concepts to be pilot-tested in Romania: Åpen Barnehage (Open Kindergarten) and Home Start. The target group will thus consist of the child-parent-teacher triad. Part of the expertise in the field will be provided by two Norwegian partners with a view to formulating recommendations on how the current situation could be made better, advising on improvements in the situation of the Roma population and contributing, in the long run, to the bilateral relations thus initiated.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the high risk of school dropout, aiming to provide support for children in Goiesti and Farcas communities in order for them to keep attending school. The activities of the project targeted children, together with families, teachers and the community. Two new concepts (Open Kindergarten and New Start) were implemented in the communities. The Norwegian partners provided the knowledge and expertise on the two concepts and offered the Romanian team opportunities to attend practical demonstrations on how the two concepts are implemented and work. They visited the Romanian communities and conducted an assessment of the local context in order adapt their approach to the local context. In Open Kindergarten, children accompanied by parents are involved in activities under the educators’ guidance: collective play, singing, telling stories, preparing and serving meals. The aim of these activities is to create a positive relationship among children, parents and educators. New Start prepared volunteers to provide support and parental counselling to families, for a given period of time, in order to create a positive climate for child development and prevent factors that could hamper the development of the child within the family. The intervention aims to develop parental skills and ways to properly approach children’s needs. The volunteers assist the parents in fulfilling their role, in solving practical issues, providing a respiro or just answer the need for communication / socialising. The trained volunteers are parents from the community. During project implementation, 198 children attended afterschool activities, 83 children in kindergarten benefited of educational support and 28 children and their parents participated in Open Kindergarten activities. 17 volunteers were trained and provided parental counselling for 21 families (60 children, 34 parents) within the New Start programme. A total of 53 Romanian and Norwegian volunteers participated in the project activities. The two innovative concepts, Open Kindergarten and New Start succeeded to mobilise communities, parents and teachers, in order to improve the quality of education at home and in schools, also through promoting mutual community support. The results of the project were awarded at the National Volunteers Gala, while the Ministry of Education provided a statement that allows these concepts to be included in the National Strategy for Parental Education which will be developed.
Summary of bilateral results
The two Norwegian partners provided permanent guidance, expertise and skills, ensuring the successful implementation of the two new concepts (Open Kindergarten and New Start). They were involved in elaborating the training materials and training delivery and ensured relevant and efficient exchange of information during site visits. The partners got involved in planning and identifying sources for the continuation of the project, preparing for the development of new applications for funding, which aim to diversify and extend the services offered by the promoter in the community. The implementation of the project in partnership with Adina Stiftelsen and SKBB also had a positive impact at organisational level. The observations made during the visits revealed to the Norwegian experts a great need of educational activities in a safe environment at an early stage, and also of parental guidance and a holistic approach. The activities proposed through the two new concepts focused on enabling families to create a favourable environment for children, and needless to say the parents play a key role in this. For Romania these two concepts are innovative, and in the beginning people from the communities found it hard to believe that such an approach could be successful and make a difference in vulnerable families. Romanian and Norwegian experts involved in the project had a close dialogue and work together as a team, these being important success factors of the collaboration and for the good project results. On the long term, an increased understanding of children needs is expected. This will most likely have a very positive impact on the development of the children and will generate positive social changes in the future.