06.04.2011“Promoting participatory field work” – to motivate the development from the inside”
On 1st and 2nd April 2011 in Complex “Bryasta” was held a working meeting of the Steering Committee of the project “Promoting participatoryfieldwork at grass-root level in marginalized and traditional Roma Communities”, funded by the European Commission under the Program Daphne III. The meeting was attended by representatives from various institutions and NGOs in the country and abroad.
Project partners are: Center Amalipe, “Liga pro Europa” from Romania, “ARSIS” from Greece (partner organizations). The meeting was attended by the National Agency for Roma - Romania, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration -Romania and on behalf of the Bulgarian institutions by experts from the Center for Educational Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities, the Ministry of Health, the Agency for Social Assistance, The State Agency for Child Protection, The National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues, The Commission for Protection against Discrimination, The National Network for Children, municipal councilors from Peshtera, Association “World without Borders” - Stara Zagora, The Foundation “Sick from asthma” - Yambol, The Foundation “Future” - Rakitovo, The Association “For a new road” – Vratsa and the Center for work with children” - Rakovski.
From the Bulgarian side, the Center Amalipe and the representatives from the Bulgarian institutions discussed the importance from a joint work of NGOs with the state structures and an inter-institutional cooperation and support at a national, district, municipal and local level. The participants agreed on the need to cover the same areas (education, social and health) that are essential for the project “To touch the untouchable”. They discussed the criteria for the areas for creation of community centers and the specific commitments of the members of the Steering Committee. In the country will be established 6 centers for community development and in each center will work two community moderators.
Our partners from Romania will create one center for development, based on the work of previously existing social and economic centers, established by the National Agency for Roma in Romania. So far, these centers have worked in the field of providing employment to people from the Roma community, as there were no activities on prevention of the drop-out of children from school, prevention of early and forced marriages, domestic violence. Therefore, the focus of the work of the new center will focus on the activities of a preventive nature
The Greek partners will also establish a community center which will build and complement their existing work with Roma communities.
The meeting concluded with the responsibility for specific commitments of each participant, which is an indispensable condition for a successful implementation of the project activities.
"We hope that this model will identify exactly the needs of the Roma and what kind of activities can be met. In particular, the services to develop the community" was the conclusion of all participants in the meeting.
