News

Public discussions on the first draft of the Strategy for local development of Lyaskovetz – Strajitza within the Rural Development Program took place on January 31 in Lyaskovetz. The Mayor of Lyskovetz D-r Ivelina Getzova, the experts who prepared the Strategy and more that 70 representatives of the local business, institutions and NGOs from the two municipalities took part in the discussion. Local Roma activists who were included during the previous weeks in the working groups for drafting the Strategy also participated actively in the discussion. They insisted the...

Thirty Roma activists and NGO representatives from municipalities Lyaskovets Strazhitsa, Popovo and Byala participated in a meeting, "Active citizen participation in the absorption of European funds at the local level”. The meeting was held from 22 to 24 January in the town of Popovo and was organized by the Center Amalipe within the project "Building a model for civic engagement and participation of Roma in the absorption of EU funds”. Participants discussed how to strengthen the involvement of NGOs and the participation of local Roma communities in the...

            On January 14th students from Vasil Levski Primary School of Karadjovo village and St. Kliment Ohridski Primary School of Tishevitza village visited the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor. The initiative was organized by Center Amalipe in regard to the traditional calendar feast Vasilitza (St. Basil’s Day) well-known as the Roma New Year in Bulgaria. Dressed in colored Roma and Bulgarian costumes the children entered Ministry of Education. With traditional Roma and Bulgarian sayings for St. Basil’s...

At the beginning of 2010 Amalipe begins implementing new projects and programs for improving the quality of education of Roma children, preventing forced marriages and advocacy for forming strong policy for Roma health integration. “Decreasing the drop-out rate among Roma” is a three-year program supported by America for Bulgaria Foundation. It addresses the high drop-out rate of Roma children in school age. The project activities will further address infrequent attendance of school, low school grades of Roma students, low representation of Roma students in high...

The Ministry of Agriculture approved six out of seven project proposals within the Program for Rural Areas Development (measure “Acquiring skills and raising public awareness for potential Local initiative groups in the rural areas”) consulted by PLATFORM project. The two projects consulted by Center Amalipe experts were among them. These proposals were submitted by municipalities with high percentage of Roma. They included not only the activities required by Ministry of Agriculture but also activities for raising the awareness of local Roma communities. In addition...