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The PAIRS project aims at collecting those good examples of sectoral and local polices that have served effective inclusion of Roma communities in eight countries, and provides a platform for international exchange of knowledge and expertise in order to facilitate the inclusion of the Roma minorities throughout the region.

The program was designed to accomplish visits to several proposed “good learning practices” in Hungary, such as the housing case (Hell’s Tower), the community building case (“Presence”), the education case (“Hódmezővásárhely” presented in Monor, and “Sure Start Children’s House: Early Childhood Development” and “Tanoda”). As background materials, interview guides and questionnaires were distributed (the case descriptions have been circulated some weeks before the visit).

Besides Momchil Baev from Center Amalipe there were other participants from the partnering countries – Serbia, Italy, Romania, Albania, Ukraine and of course Hungary.

We visited one of the first pre-fabs in Veszprém, amidst the industrial area of the city, which shortly after the transition turned into a ghetto. The place is housing mostly jobless, extremely poor, and vulnerable Roma and non-Roma families. We heard a presentation by Norbert Lőrincz, the Project Manager of the project of the Maltese Charity, and the group was divided into two subgroups for visits in the house, where we could see the major infrastructure challenges, got insight into some families’ lives, saw ongoing investments, and took a look at the transitory shelter for homeless run by the Charity. Colleagues (the local Housing Manager and a social worker) assisted the tour and the Q&A session after the tour in the house.

When the Maltese Charity “entered” Hell’s Tower in 2009, there was no heating, due to non-payment, the provider had cut the gas servicing, and inhabitants stole the iron gas pipes and sold it. Many windows were broken, no bars protected the corridor ends, drugs and prostitution were heavily present. For ten years no local player had cared for the state of the building and the residents. It was the Municipality that called the Charity to act – in the framework of taking over the town’s homeless provision. 

The share of Roma in the building is approximately 50%, and the largest share of the residents is very vulnerable families. There are no Roma-non-Roma conflicts, rather, there are tensions between families. There are also mixed marriages. Many residents depend on social transfers, the level of which does not suffice for paying even the rents.

Finances for the refurbishment came from a diversity of funds: OSI, the municipality, who, in addition of offering a minor financial assistance to carry out investments to change conditions that were dangerous to life, bought the tenant allocation right for 16 dwellings, with a budget that was sufficient to refurbish these dwellings, and further private funds, like the former President of Hungary. The dwellings to which the municipality may allocate tenants also receive the same level social work (the tenants’ contracts will be supervised after 1.5 years).

The second day focused on various elements of the integrated “Chance for Children” program, originally launched by the Academy of Sciences in 2006/7 in the framework of the “Strategy to Combat Child Poverty 2007-2032”, in the Szécsény micro-region in Hungary. Therefore, former staff of the micro-region (some of them are employed in follow-up activities) were invited to present and discuss achievements and challenges. An element of the complex program, the Children’s House service targets early childhood development, and the methodology has largely been adapted from the UK model; in Hungary, a small network of such Houses with strong methodological support and monitoring system has been established – but with insecure financing (see below). Further elements were introduced by some former colleagues in the course of the day.

Endrefalva – Children’s House

This Children’s House carries out early childhood development (there is no nursery in the village, and the kindergarten cannot accept all children from the relevant age group, and tends to accept kids only after they get 5 years old, that is for the compulsory year of pre-school education, which is far too little time for children to catch up for primary school – the regulation is changing from September 2014).

Children between 0-5 years together with their parents attend the program, which is based on regular attendance and everyday activities. The development activities are complex (motoric development, psycho-social development, mental health, etc.), and it offers also activities and services for parents (for example clubs, handcrafts activities, cooking, laundry and cleaning).

‘Local integrated service point’– Endrefalva

The Mayoress of Endrefalva made a brief presentation about the Szécsény micro-region that is characterized by one of the highest unemployment rates in the country (it is the 35^th most disadvantaged micro-region out of 174 in Hungary).

Then Mr. Szilárd Lantos (HMCS) gave a presentation about the Combating Child Poverty program, and its forerunner, the Szécsény Micro-regional program.

The pilot program’s goal was to elaborate a territory-based complex program that aimed at tackling child poverty, based on a profound needs assessment[1], by improving local service delivery, harmonizing stakeholders’ interests, and last but not least, steering a considerable amount of resources and human capital into the micro-region to mobilize and facilitate improvements. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences took the lead in 2008-2011 and developed a robust methodological framework covering for example education, social work, health care, complex service organisation, etc.

After the discussion in Endrefalva, we were taken to Kányás, a former miner’s village, facing challenges of an ageing population and large share of unemployment, especially among Roma. The NGO hosting us both there and in Bátonyterenye (one of the directors is a key person in the Szécsény pilot), took us to the “heating from waste” workshop.

The program was launched from a small Swiss grant, and the aim is to provide recycled heating material for free for families who are in need. The technology is very simple, and can be performed by unskilled workers: recycled paper and leaves are pressed into rolls, which are dried and can be used as briquettes. Paper is offered pro bono by a Bátonyterenye printing company and gathered through individual collection. Till date, the program has not received any support by the Kányás municipality, but the NGO is trying to establish a closer cooperation. The main achievement (besides offering free heating materials) is that the program provides community building and serves improving solidarity within the Roma community.

On the third day the group visited the town of Manor. The social work carried out in Monor was presented by Dávid Kiss, former field social worker, today regional coordinator at HMCS. He reported about the history of the local Roma settlement which was established basically by the municipality on a municipally owned land during the “urbanization” period of Monor (the municipality closed its eyes and let to build “houses” without permission, while moving Roma out from the city center some 50 years ago).

He reported about the process the HMCS becoming a “player” in the Tabán Roma settlement in Monor, a town 30 kms from Budapest (the settlement is 500-600 m away from the center of Monor). The first contact with the settlement was established some 10 years ago when an SOS sign reached the HMCS that people were freezing. The HMCS decided to stay on and not only to give fuel. This was the first “place” to develop and maintain the “Presence” program, the philosophy of which is that assistance work requires a long-term approach in the settlement, first to start with observation and setting up a diagnose.