Projects in implementation

Project title: Social interventions for de-segregation and social inclusion of vulnerable groups in Cluj Metropolitan Area, including the disadvantaged Roma

Project promoter: Intercommunity Development Association Cluj Metropolitan Area

Project partner(s): Fundația AltArt; Habitat for Humanity Cluj; Roma Community Association Coastei

Project budget: 2.079.500 EUR

Project duration: 24 months

Short description of the project: The Pata Rata area based on the outskirts of the Cluj metropolitan area was created by evictions of poor, largely Roma families, from central areas of the city, as well as by immigration from nearby villages. People living in the area have made a living through the collection and trading in waste from the nearby waste-landfill site. The waste site will be closed in 2015. With this in mind the objective is to prepare for the closure and reintegration of local people by increasing participation in mainstream society and enhancing access to different public services including: education, social welfare, health and housing. The project addresses the approximately 300 families living in a condition of multiple deprivations in Pata Rat, an informal urban settlement near the city landfill. At the end of the project communities from Pata Rat will have a better quality of life, will be better informed regarding the planned development processes and gain an overall better control on their own lives. The project will build on cooperation developed between a wide range of stakeholders including the municipality of Cluj-Napoca, public health, education and employment actors, as well as civil society organisations.

 

Project title: Social inclusion through the provision of integrated social services at community level

Project promoter: UNICEF Country Office Romania

Project budget: 3.285.706 EUR

Project duration: 32 months

Short description of the project: The project will pilot an integrated approach to service provision in Bacău County Council drawing on UNICEF’s know-how and experience in implementing similar initiatives in Romania. The services will be provided by community professionals working together, including: social workers, community nurses, health mediators and schools. All the partners from the community level will be engaged, including: local authorities, NGOs and civil society. The pilot is being complemented by national campaigns on anti-discrimination and on the presentation of positive Roma role-models to reduce stigmatisation and help to reduce the day-to-day discrimination faced by Roma people, as well as to improve the self-image and ambitions of Roma people.

 

Project title: Community Center - Armata Salvarii

Project promoter:Salvation Army Romania

Project budget: 3.205.751 EUR

Project duration: 32 months

Short description of the project: The project is focused on two community centres in Iasi and Ploiesti. There are two main components: addressing the low access of vulnerable families to basic services in education, health and social protection; and, removing barriers to the job market by targeted approaches. The community centres will provide simple reading and writing lessons for children currently not attending school, homework help for those in school, basic consultations with a nurse in-situ and follow-up visits at home, information and education in basic hygiene, first aid, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, dental hygiene, family planning and courses/advice on rights to health services. The second component will involve establishing an import and distribution centre for cloth near Bucharest, vulnerable people will be trained in the skills needed for the business providing gainful employment and work experience. The work will be organised as a business.

 

Project title: Socio-graphic mapping of the Roma Communities in Romania for a community-level monitoring of changes with regard to Roma integration

Project promoter:Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities

Project partner(s): CCRIT - The Research Center on Inter-Ethnic Relations; Open Society Foundation

Project budget: 1.000.000 EUR

Project duration: 24 months

Short description of the project: There is an information gap regarding the socio-economic and fundamental rights situation of the Roma in Europe generally. By effective monitoring of data policy-makers and other stakeholders can identify issues that require action. By taking an evidence-based approach policies and strategies can be developed to address actual needs and priorities of Roma people. The ISPMN is a member of the EU Working Party on Roma Inclusion, this group is involved in identifying a common framework of indicators for monitoring Roma inclusion in EU countries. By working closely with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) the ISPMN will develop and implement a system for mapping and monitoring the situation of Roma people in Romania at a local level. The project will integrate new and existing date and develop a set of interactive maps that will be available to key actors involved in elaborating strategies to address Roma related issues. Thematic workshops and visits for the exchange of experience, will play an important role in developing EU-wide methods on monitoring the social and economic situation of the Roma people.

Cooperation with the Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) will be particularly important in bringing expertise and helping to disseminate results.

 

Project title: 'Ready Set Go!' - improving early childhood development outcomes for Roma children

Project promoter:Roma Education Fund (REF) Romania

Project partner(s): Ruhama Foundation; DIVERS Association; Justice and Brotherhood; Center for Education and Human Rights

Project budget: 2,632,166 EUR (out of which 2,430,000 EUR is supported by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism)

Project duration: 29 months

Short description of the project: The project aims to improve the early childhood development (ECD) outcomes of Roma children aged 0-6 by improving the quality and inclusiveness preschool education. The project will be implemented in 14 urban and rural localities situated in the six Romanian counties with the highest share of Roma population of preschool age. The activities planned will be needs based and the project interventions are based on an ECD intervention model tested and proven through numerous projects implemented by the project promoter. The project will establish a network of mediators to work closely with Roma families and liaise between local authorities and kindergartens. Financial and material support to eligible families will be provided to overcome barriers conditional on kindergarten attendance. Furthermore, the project will implement targeted interventions to enhance the parenting skills of participating Roma parents and to improve parent-teacher relations, building trust and respect.

 

Project title: Preparatory project - Strengthening Education and Developing Work and Skills Training

Project promoter:City of Oslo

Project budget: 500,000 EUR

Project duration: 24 months

Short description of the project: The long-term objective is to strengthen local institutional capacity in the development and implementation of social services. The project is considered as a preparatory project combining needs assessment, a feasibility study and the establishment of a partnership in the initial phase. The City of Oslo will establish a sustainable partnership with a Romanian city and develop a project proposal on improved municipal governance and service delivery for consideration under the next financial mechanism.

The partner city will be identified through study visits to a selection of cities and regions in Romania where poverty and poor access to social services among Roma people and other vulnerable groups are most pressing. The City of Oslo will collaborate with the Norwegian Embassy in Bucharest on the identification of the cities and the study visits. Once the partnership is established, the project promoter and partner city will conduct a series of study visits, workshops and exchange of experts between the two cities. These activities will help prepare for targeted activities related to capacity building and good governance activities and serve as a framework for preparing a needs assessment. The needs assessment together with the knowledge gained through the collaboration will be a platform for developing more specific pilot projects and small scale activities directed towards the relevant target groups in future.

 

Project title: School - an alternative for a better life!

Project promoter:Ministry of National Education

Project partner(s): Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration; Sântana City Hall, Arad county; Cluj Napoca City Hall, Cluj county; Eforie Sud City Hall, Constanţa county; Craiova City Hall, Dolj county; Lungani City Hall, Iaşi county; Baia Mare City Hall, Maramureş county; Cheţani City Hall, Mureş county; Alexandria City Hall, Teleorman county; Arad County School Inspectorate; Cluj County School Inspectorate; Constanța County School Inspectorate; Dolj County School Inspectorate; Iași County School Inspectorate; Maramureș County School Inspectorate; Mureș County School Inspectorate; Teleorman County School Inspectorate

Project budget: 3,467,704 EUR

Project duration: 24 months

Short description of the project: The overall aim of the project is to improve access to the education system for children from disadvantaged communities, especially from Roma families, by supporting the development and implementation of flexible programmes for non-formal education. The main objectives are preventing early school leaving and increasing the level of social and economic inclusion of children from disadvantaged communities.

The project will include the implementation of remedial and support programmes as well as extracurricular activities. Activities that will be supported include the as modernising and providing equipment to selected schools, elaborating curricula and specialised trainings programmes, implementing "After School" and "School for Parents" initiatives.