Zagreb, Croatia -- As is true across Europe, the Roma community in Croatia is highly isolated and deeply impoverished. Social and economic marginalization has placed Roma families – particularly their children -- at great risk. Recognizing the crisis engulfing his own people, Bajro Bajiric and a few associates in Zagreb decided to found the Roma for Roma Association in 1998, in an effort to address these intractable problems. “Roma children face so many problems in their every day lives,” he explains, “such as poverty, inadequate parental care, health risks, and inadequate educational opportunities. They need a chance to recognize their own talents, and improve their skills in school.” Underscoring the extremely high rate of unemployment among Roma youth, Bajiric adds that there must be a more concerted effort to prepare them for employment.
Roma for Roma seeks to give Roma children some of these opportunities, through a range of programs that include school preparation, children and youth magazines, a health promotion programme (Healthy Communities), summer school, intercultural clubs, and day care services. The Association’s main office, located in the basement of a high rise building on the outskirts of town, is filled with paintings, musical instruments, and brightly painted scarves made by some of the Roma children. “Because of widespread stereotypes and prejudices, Roma children don’t have any pride in themselves or their heritage,” explains Ksenija Rissi, the program coordinator. “To give these children the opportunity to mature into healthy adults, they require support in developing pride in themselves as individuals, and as members of the Roma nationality.”
Improving the quality of their education is clearly a priority at Roma for Roma, which offers educationally enriched programs for pre-school children as well as those already enrolled in school. The Association is also a strong advocate for inclusion and integration in the classroom.
A significant program, and one supported by the Balkan Children and Youth Foundation (BCYF), is a life skills initiative called “Healthy Communities.” About 200 Roma (and some non-Roma) youth, as well as some of their parents, participate in the program, which promotes self esteem, decision making, problem solving, and non-violence. At present, the program is offered at four locations in two counties.
The “Healthy Communities” workshops, which take place three hours a week year round, engage Roma youth in a range of activities that encourage not only personal health but clean and healthy homes and neighborhoods. In addition to learning about human rights and children’s rights, as well as social skills, participants gain knowledge about how to clean their homes, cook and eat healthfully, pick up the garbage in their back yards, and keep their surroundings clean. The health component educates them about HIV/AIDS prevention, provides counseling on drugs and alcohol abuse, disease prevention, and indoor and outdoor hazards. Organized excursions into the countryside and around the city are particularly popular. While some workshops only engage Roma youth, others form multi-ethnic groups.
Says “Healthy Communities” participant Valentina, age 12: “I like to go to the workshops, play the games and go on trips. I like nature,” she says, “but I don’t like guns or weapons. I want to be safe.” Valentina says that as a result of the program, she feels she has a better relationship with her mother, and more friends. “We are also learning not to throw trash in the streets. Students are now putting it in the right place.”
Danitza, age 12, is one of the non-Roma youth in the program. “I was prejudiced against Roma children, I was afraid of them. The workshops taught me that there are so many good people, and now I have many friends. I’ve also learned more respect for my elders, and how to behave.” She, too, has learned to clean up her house and her yard, “but I’m still more interested in other things,” she admits. At 14, Turkien is one of the older members of the group. “I have gained some respect for myself, and I’m more motivated in school,” she says. “I also know that you shouldn’t beat children, and I’ve told my older sister that she’s too violent with her kids.” Turkien says the “Healthy Communities” program helps young people resist drugs. “I know people who are 8, 10, 12 years old who are breathing gasoline and dealing drugs. I meet them in the playground and try to talk them out of it. I tell them to join this group. But so far they haven’t listened to me. I am not having any success yet,” she says, “but I am trying to share my knowledge.”
The program also works with Roma parents, both in their homes and as participants in regular workshops. Program leaders conduct home visits, and consult with parents about the importance of education for their children, having positive communications within the family, making nutritious meals, ensuring their children have appropriate clothing, and improving home and personal hygiene. A manual is being published documenting the project’s experience and strategies, in the hopes that these initiatives will be expanded in the future in other communities of similar characteristics.
There are clearly signs of progress overall. Marginalization is lessening in some areas, and more Roma students are finding academic success. Two recent graduates from the local high school recently entered teachers’ college, an event that was much celebrated in the Roma community where they live. Yet a visit to the local Roma neighborhood, where piles of garbage lined the dirt roads, children in ragged clothes run barefoot, and where unemployment remains extremely high, underscores the deep social and economic challenges that Roma families continue to face.
“It’s not hopeless, and every year there is a small improvement,” says Rissi. “Our aim is to improve the existing conditions in Roma communities by gradually turning passive community members into active citizens who will be able to take care of their own and their families’ health, protect the environment, inspire positive feelings, and encourage cooperation among their neighbors.”
Elements of Success
Cooperation with Local Institutions
The Roma for Roma Association has strong links to both local government and NGOs, cooperating with primary schools attended by Roma children, welfare centers, and government ministries. It is also a member of the Croatian Humanitarian Network, the Croatian Youth Network, and the Croatian Council of Roma Associations. The Association also cooperates with a range of cultural institutions as a way to promote Roma culture and heritage.
Life Skills Training
Given the low self esteem of so many of the Roma youth, the Association has placed a high priority on life skills training and health education and awareness. Building up young people’s confidence in themselves, and pride in their culture, is a key part of this strategy. Says one of the teachers in the program: “Roma don’t want to admit who they are, and often change their names if they become successful. As a result, we have so few role models. We must change that.”
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