Program rozvoja rómskych komunít (Roma Communities Developemnt Programme)

Since 2015, we have been implementing the Program rozvoja rómskych komunít (Roma Communities Development Programme) in cooperation with the Ekopolis Foundation in the Košice, Prešov and Banská Bystrica regions. The programme aims to promote activities in the field of early child and family care and to improve the situation of Roma in selected communities by facilitating their access to the labour market and fulfilment of their basic needs such as housing or education. It also helps to overcome prejudice and social exclusion of the poor. The programme has been operating for three years and the activities supported in the current, third round, will be completed in January 2019.

Current status

Closed

Goals and short history

Programme Goals:

  • Improvement of employability of Roma through generation of job opportunities and improvement of their job skills;
  • Promoting of housing and community space building;
  • Promoting of education of children and youths;
  • Early care of Roma children;
  • Improvement of health care and other services;
  • Reduction of prejudice among the majority population;
  • Building of capacities of NGOs working with Roma communities.

26 projects in following areas were supported so far within the scope of the programme:

  • Employability promotion: 8 projects
  • Promotion of housing and community space building: 4 projects
  • Early care and education of pre-school children and youths: 14 projects
  • Improvement of health care, services and planned parenthood: 11 projects

Since the very beginning, the programme was designed to promote and support Roma communities through selected NGOs with extensive experience in the field that are capable of bringing innovative solutions to the problems Roma communities are facing.

Progressive interventions in the field, promoting early childhood development, rank among the main priorities of the 3rd and the subsequent 4th cycle of the programme. The programme approaches this field in a holistic way, since in the communities where early care is one of the most acute problems many Roma families living in terrible conditions face, often with no access to running water, electricity or gas, or without core sanitary amenities. Thus, it is very difficult to implement early childhood interventions without addressing the wider problems in these families and communities.

Conditions and criteria

The grant programme is implemented through closed calls. If you are interested in further information, please contact the project manager, Ms. Mária Ház at maria.haz@karpatskanadacia.sk or by phone: 055/622 1152.

Supported in the past

In the scope of the 3rd cycle of the programme, small grants were provided to 12 NGOs, which support the development of new and/or improvement of existing integrated education and community work models:

  • Človek v ohrození – project: Integrácia Rómov na trh práce prostredníctvom služieb pracovného a kariérneho poradenstva (Integration of Roma in the labour market through professional and career advisory services)
  • Detstvo deťomproject: Rodičovské centrum – vzdelávacie aktivity II (Parental Centre – Educational Activities II)
  • ETP Slovensko project: Učíme sa učiť sa – dlhodobé uplatnenie inovatívnej FIE metódy v popoludňajších kluboch pre žiakov z rómskych osád vo Veľkej Ide pri Košiciach (Learning to Learn – Long-term Application of the FIE Method in After-School Clubs for Students from Roma Settlements in Veľká Ida Municipality)
  • Obec Raslavice – project: Rómski asistenti v MŠ Raslavice (Roma Assistant Teachers in Raslavice Kindergarten)
  • Projekt Dom.ov – project: Kde domov ich (Where is Their Home?)
  • Svatobor – project: Rómsky záhradník /Romano Barardo (Roma Gardener)
  • Združenie PRE LEPŠÍ ŽIVOT – project: Komunitná záhrada EDEN (Community Garden)
  • OZ Nádej deťom – Komunitná škôlka (Community Kindergarten)
  • OZ Čarovné husle – Investícia v rannom detstve (Early Childhood Investment)
  • OZ Združenie mladých Rómov – Aktivizácia detí žijúcich v MRK (Activation of Children from MRC)
  • OZ Komunitné centrum menšín – Podpora zdravotnej a finančnej gramotnosti detí (Promotion of Medical and Financial Literacy of Children)
  • OZ Klub rómskych aktivistov na SR – Učenie je hra (Learning is a Game)

Videos about the projects supported in the 2nd cycle of the programme and their results.