A MMonthlyonthly PPeriodicaleriodical ooff TThehe RRomaoma IInclusionnclusion OOfffi ccee The Roma Decade iinn AAPP VVojvodinaojvodina no. 10, november 2011. 2011. no. 10, november MMOREORE TTHANHAN LLIFEIFE IInterview:nterview: SSnežananežana RepacRepac SSupportingupporting thethe RomaRoma wwithoutithout ppositiveositive discriminationdiscrimination SuccessfulS f l Roma:R RajkoR jko Ranko Jovanovi Jovanović FFromrom a ttamburitzaamburitza ttoo a wwhitehite ccoatoat The Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina 1 IINTRODUCTIONNTRODUCTION The Founder and the Published of the Periodical: The International Roma Decade which was offi cially The Roma Inclusion Offi ce of the launched in 2005 in Sofi a represents the biggest project Government of AP Vojvodina on the international level dedicated to the Roma. The go- vernments of central and south-eastern European coun- The Editor: tries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Mon- Duško Jovanović tenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Spain), in which around 10 million of Roma people are living at the The editor of theme of the number: economic and social margins of the society, have signed Snežana Dimić, dipl. pedagogist this document. The main goal of the Decade of Roma is the improve- The Team: ment of the position of the Roma in fi elds like education, Dragana Dimitrov, professor of Serbian employment, housing and health. Certain documents and language and literature action plans have been created, developed and carried out Marija Petković so far that have directly infl uenced and initiated the im- Ružica Nikolić, dipl. economist provement of the position of the Roma. Igor Dimić, preschool teacher Petar Miler, engeneer of mechatronics - The Republic of Serbia has also become the part of master degree the International Roma Decade, wrote its own Strategy Snežana Dimić, dipl. pedagogist for the Roma Integration and accepted the action plans Jovana Davidović, phylologist - master degree for education, employment, housing and health. Correspondents: If we take into account the fact that the Decade has Roma Coordinators of APV been going on for the past six years and that, unfortuna- Zita Farkaš, pharmachologist tely, its results are not as visible and noticeable as it has been expected that they would be, and that the Roma who Photographer: live in rural areas are not that informed about the things Vitomir Dimić that have been done in this fi eld, the main goal of this periodical is to introduce the local, provincial and inter- Translation in Roma language: national institutions and NGOs to the activities which are Marija Petković being carried out in AP Vojvodina. The experiences in solving specifi c problems in particular environments can Translation in English language: and should be used as examples for other environments Foreign Language Center SOHO, Novi Sad for solving the same or similar issues. Technical Preparation and Printing: Today, we can proudly introduce the “vojvodina mo- MAXIMA GRAF, Petrovaradin dels” we use for solving the Roma issues because this [email protected] particular province has done the most for the integration of the members of the Roma national community into the Circulation: society. Those are exactly the models and the information 1000 that we would like to present to the public and to follow and inform them about all the actions that are happening Address: Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 25, or not happening within the Decade of Roma. 21000 Novi Sad The Team 2 The Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina TThemeheme ooff tthehe nnumberumber 110:0: MMoreore tthanhan llifeife TTHEHE AAGREEMENTGREEMENT IISS WHATWHAT ITIT TAKESTAKES TTOO BUILDBUILD Izvor: EHO Roma settlement Bangladeš in Novi Sad In Republic of Serbia there are almost six hundred and fi fty Roma settlements where approximately four hundred fi fty thousand Roma people live. The living conditions in these settlements are in most cases under the minimal ones. A large portion of these settlements do not even have the bare infra- structure, the surrounding roads, sewerage and drinking water. Instead of constructed residential buildings, these families live in improvised accommodation. Is this life or is it just an imitation of it? The project called “Social Inclusion and Housing Improvement in the Roma Settlements in AP Vojvodina in Republic of Serbia” was initiated in July 2001. Since then, it has yielded results that bring the hope that one of the biggest problems of the Roma, this are the virtually unbearable living conditions, are about to cease. The result of a long-lasting experience Robert Bu, the coordinator of the project says that the Roma Resource Center at the Ecume- nical Humanitarian Organization has a long-lasting experience in working with the vulnerable groups and the Roma national settlement.For many years, we were the unique typical organiza- tion that provided single material help for the Roma. However, our experience has changed since we focused on the cooperation with the inhabitants of the Romasettle- Izvor: EHO mentBangladeš in the outskirts of Robert Bu with residents of Roma settlement in Opovo Novi Sad. The survey we conduc- The Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina 3 TThemeheme ooff tthehe nnumberumber 110:0: MMoreore tthanhan llifeife Source: EHO Source: EHO Source: EHO Work planning and execution ted in the settlement has helped and Cooperation, the Norwegian del according to which this orga- us signifi cantly to recognize all Church Help and the Ministry of nization functions. This model is the other needs and problems of Foreign Affairs of Norway. What named the Sustainable renovation the Roma. – Bu says. makes this project different is the of Romasettlements , and it is the result of the long-lasting expe- rience of the RRC and it was con- structed in association with the Swiss partners. So far, the project has been conducted in the Romasettlement of Bangladesh in Novi Sad, in the Romasettlement in the municipa- lity of Žabalj, in the Third New Settlement in the municipality of Opovo as well as in the Roma- settlements in Vašarište, Putrija, Novo selo, Donji grad in muni- cipality of Bečej and in the set- tlement Ciganski kraj in Bačko Source: EHO Gradište. Work in progress The Roma as the “owners” The Roma Resource Center fact that it was conceived upon of the project (RRC) at the Ecumenical Huma- the unique model of work with nitarian Organization conducts the members of Roma national This kind of a model is possi- this project in association with settlement, where the most im- ble only if it the Roma represen- foreign investors such as the portant factor is the contribution tatives living in these settlements Humanitarian Organization of of the very Roma nation. Still, take part in it. The project is plan- Swiss Protestant Churches, the this is not exclusively bound to ned and devised exclusively with Swiss Agency for Development this project, but is simply a mo- them cooperating. Apart from ć ć Source: EHO Photo: S. Nikoli Photo: S. Nikoli Roma settlement „Ciganski kraj“ in Đurđevo once A danas... 4 The Roma Decade in AP Vojvodina TThemeheme ooff tthehe nnumberumber 110:0: MMoreore tthanhan llifeife And today... ć ć ć ć Source: EHO Photo: P. Gavrilovi Photo: P. Gavrilovi Photo: P. New bathroom and roof in Bečej municipality that, this model of work implies that includes three Roma men or ject documentation , to alter the fl exibility and adaptability to in- women who are chosen by the purpose of the ground where the dividual and specifi c problems of settlement inhabitants, and who settlement is situated into the re- the inhabitants of the Roma set- will represent their rights and in- sidential area and consequentially tlement. In this manner, the parti- terests. The next stage is initia- the recognition of the settlement, cipation of the Roma in the entire tion of the forum for Perspective devising a plan of the detailed re- project was encouraged and pro- of the settlement development gulations as well as the possibility moted. The Roma are even gi- that imply activities of the afo- for legalization of the individual ven the opportunity to gain some re mentioned committee and the houses in the settlement. extra assets by taking part in con- local administration , together As we were informed by the struction work and by supplying with the public companies, non- project coordinator,Mr Robert second-hand building material. governmental organization all for Bu, the representatives of the lo- As such, this project has a goal the sake of fi nding the best so- cal administration that governs to improve and develop the entire lution for the existing problems. the Romasettlement included in Romasettlement. Upon that, the RRC conducts the project have taken part in the We work in association with fi eld surveys on socio-economic project, but, in his opinion, the the inhabitants with who we prac- status of the inhabitants, which problems of Romasettlements are tically agree on the initiatives and is followed by production of the still not of high priority in a large interventions, we plan the pro- project documentation. The work number of municipalities. jects and when the times comes to training makes it possible for the realize them, Roma men and wo- inhabitants to attend courses in In the beginning there was… men are the only ones who should building and installation-related be in charge of the process, as the crafts. The next stage is individual MrRobert Bu, the coordinator project coordinator says. planning of mending or construc- of the project says that the model tion of houses in the settlements. of the “Sustainable Renovation of The stages of the project Upon the distribution of the bu- the RomaSettlement” was tested ilding material, the restoration or in the RomasettlementŠangaj, The stages of the project re- construction of the houses start. in Novi Sad. On the basis of fi - alization are also the part of the led survey, the RRC got almost “Sustainable Renovation of Ro- Where is the Local disappointing results.