News

           Community moderators from the Bulgarian Centers for Community Development presented their work at a National Conference in Romania. The conference is part of the final activities on the project \"Promotion of fieldwork at local level among traditional and marginalized Roma community\", funded by European Commission’s project Daphne. The project is implemented in three countries - Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. Eight  Community Development Centers opened up during the project implementation/ six centers in Bulgaria, in the municipalities Peshtera, Kameno, Byala Slatina, Etropole, Novi Pazar and Pavlikeni, one center in Greece and one in Romania /. Two community moderators work in each of the centers.

            The conference took place from November 26 to 28, 2012 in the town of Tirgu Mures, Romania, where Community Development Center is established. The activities of the center are guided and coordinated by the League Pro Europe, which is the Romanian partner of Amalipe Center. The goal of the National conference in Romania was to present the implemented project activities, results and seeking sustainable model for community development \"from the bottom-up\" through the mobilization of social capacity of the local Roma community.
             The conference was opened by Mrs. Smaranda Enache - President of the League Pro Europe, Romania and Amalipe’s partner in the project. Presentation of the project activities that took place in Romania was later presented by the community moderators: Alexandra Bershi and Regina Moldovan. The early marriages and dropping out of school are the most serious problems faced by the community in Mures, Romania, reported the moderators. The community has maintained its traditions and customs, including the vicious practice of early marriage.  Much of the efforts of the community moderators in Targu Mures are focused on solving this problem.
           During the conference participants had the opportunity to learn about the activities carried by the Centers for Community Development in Bulgaria.  Ms. Sylvia Boyanova presented the work of the Centers and the community moderators Jordan Stanev- from Kameno Center and Ganka Vasileva - from Etropole Center talked about their work at community level and at a local governmental and state institutions level. Conference participants were interested in the activities carried by the moderators that are helping out the dialogue with local institutions and how they are responding to the community needs.
            What it is like to be Roma and the many obstacles an ordinary Roma person must pass in order to build credibility and be accepted by the majority as an authority- on this topic Mr. Rudy Mocha - Roma actor, journalist and writer spoke to the audience. Mr. Mocha was talking about the difficulties that he went thorough until he finished  his theater degree and he gave stimulus to the  moderators not give up in what they want to achieve, even though sometimes the results are not the desired ones . Presentation of the situation of Roma in Mures: between the stigma and the self-esteem was done by Mark Letizia - Association of Roma women in Timisoara, Romania and Lumina Csaba - Roma poet. At the end of the conference participants enjoyed the poems written and recited by Romani Lumina Csaba. Roma poet writes and publishes its books in four languages ​​- Roma, Romanian, English and German. The poet shared with the audience that her books are now published in over 20 countries.