Description
The ethnic minorities living in rural area are disadvantaged in a double way: the rural areas are disadvantaged compared to the urban areas and the ethnic majorities are disadvantaged compared to the majority. This is more pronounced in the case of the roma minority. The special needs of the ethnic minorities in most cases are not represented at the level of the public authorities. The main objective is to identify and promote new ways of interethnic communication at local level and to promote the special needs of the ethnic minorities to the stakeholders. The project will launch an interethnic facilitator service in 6 urban localities from Arad and Timis counties, where there are at least 2 ethnic minorities including in all cases the roma minority. 18 facilitators will be trained and gets support from experts to organize different local activities which will strengthen the ethnic communities and presents their needs to the local stakeholders.
Summary of project results
The goal of the project was to prepare a team of community facilitators in order to increase the inclusion of different vulnerable groups. Therefore, 6 teams of community facilitators (2 facilitators/community) were prepared in six localities where live at least two main minority communities (at least 30 persons / community) - one of the minorities being Roma. The selected localities were Mosnita Noua, Balint, Costei (all in Timis County), Vinga, Misca, Zimandu Nou (all in Arad County). The facilitators applied questionnaires in order to identify specific problems in each of the Hungarian and Roma communities. After these questionnaires were processed and analysed, the results were presented in a series of community meetings organized in each of the six localities, with local authorities and mayors being invited. As part of the learning process, the facilitators also organized a set of 54 activities for children (2,370 children, including 628 Roma), and other 12 actions addressed to adults (1,296 people, out of which 271 Roma ethnics). The project also helped creating 6 databases (one for each locality) that put together information about people that need specific services and people that can offer these services in the community. All these activities aimed at changing the mentality of the future generations, at showing them that interaction between different ethnic groups is natural and normal and a necessity in achieving the goal to raise tolerant children and receptive to others’ needs.
Summary of bilateral results