Description
The Romanian city of Beius has about 334 Roma inhabitants, representing 3.2% of the population. The Roma population has major difficulties in being able to secure the income needed for their daily subsistence. This situation generates serious issues for the children's education, leads to poor health, and emergence of forms of segregation. The main objective of the project is strengthening social cohesion at local level by supporting education and social inclusion of poor Roma and Romanian children and youth at risk. The project will implement concrete actions to increase educational opportunities for Roma children and young people and socio-educational services for their parents.The target group consists of 75 Roma children at risk and 40 parents, as well as 15 young people at risk. The main activities of the project will promote social inclusion and reduce vulnerability, establish socio-educational partnerships, and elaborate a "Happy Book".
Summary of project results
The Roma population from Beius Municipality and 12 communes from the surrounding “Tara Beiusului” area (approx. 8.700 persons) has major difficulties in being able to secure their daily income, often being in a situation where they cannot provide any income. This situation generates serious problems in the children's education, poor health, the emergence of forms of segregation (education, employment, social services), or self-segregation (reclusion in the community, no longer registering children in school). The pre-school children are not registered in kindergarten, as parents do not have the resources to pay for the meals (at the moment of project preparation, only 2 out of 30 Roma children had been registered in kindergarten), and they speak at home exclusively Romani language, which results in difficult adaptation later in school. Roma children between I-VIIIth grade have poor results in school and high absence rates, as often their parents have emigrated and they are left in the care of grandparents. Roma young people between 16-29 years old get married and have children early, lack skills to find jobs and often are left with the only option to leave the country. This inter-generational cycle repeats itself, leaving Roma people with few chances to break away. The project aimed to strengthen the social-educational cohesion, as a mean to achieve an increased social inclusion of the Roma population and, generally, of the population affected by poverty in Beius Municipality. The “Da Vinci” Educational Centre was set up and equipped within the General School “Nicolae Popoviciu” from Beius. During the project, a total number of 60 children (20 pre-school children and 40 children from grades I-VIII), out of which 48 Roma, and 15 young people, out of which 12 Roma, have benefitted from social-educational activities (kindergarten, after-school classes, cultural visits to sites of interest), provision of meals and transport to the Centre. Also, 40 parents, all Roma, have benefitted from social services, vocational and educational counselling, and motivational coaching, while 23 specialists have been trained in delivering quality services. The project contributed to an increased social-educational integration of children and youth at risk from Beius Municipality (Roma and non-Roma) and to an increased awareness and involvement of parents in the education of children, that will lead to bridging the gap between these vulnerable groups and the rest of the community.
Summary of bilateral results