And I’ve reached the end…

On Thursday, 29.09.2022, at the Star of Hope Center in Dimăcheni (Botoşani) and at the Star of Hope Valea Seacă Center (Bacău), the closing event of the “Active Social Inclusion through Local Development” project took place simultaneously with the financial support of Active Citizen Fund Romania, program financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.
The event was attended by representatives of local authorities, teachers, volunteers, students and other members of the two communities. At the conference in Dimăcheni, we were honored with the presence of Tiberiu Manolache (sub-prefect Botoşani), Doina Nacu Manole (director of DGASPC Botosani), Valentin Alexandru Colbu (deputy director), Marinel Moruzi Marinel ((mayor of Dimăcheni), Maria Pintea (vice-mayor of Dimăcheni) , Dumitriţa Bidalac (educational adviser), Aurora Vatamaniuc (executive president of Star of Hope Romania Foundation), while in Valea Seacă were present Ion Pravăț (mayor of Valea Seacă commune), Daniela Rău (principal of Secondary School no. 1 Valea Seacă), Ion Lepșa (vice-mayor of Valea Seacă commune), Gabriela Răducanu (Star of Hope Romania Foundation program director and project coordinator) and last but not least Elena Motaș (representative of Iași Prefecture and President of the Ursari Roma Association from Dagâța).

The atmosphere was really festive and not boring at all. The guests had surprises prepared both by the mothers (who happily showed the carpets woven by their own hands in the project) and by the children, who amazed the participants with a surprising and original dance (Umbrella Dance). It was the way in which the children and mothers chose to thank honestly for all the benefits they had by participating in the activities within the project.
The aim of this project was to increase the capacity of vulnerable groups, including Roma citizens and young people, from the inter-ethnic and underserved communes: Valea Seacă (Bacău) and Dimăcheni (Botoşani) – in order to minimize exclusion and social injustice and develop integration skills.

The project helped 170 people (of which 15 will be young people and 50 Roma) at risk of poverty or social exclusion to participate in actions to increase capacity and integration skills. It provided social services through education and skills training activities to a number of 77 vulnerable adults (of which 28 young people and 53 Roma). 80 children (of whom 50 Roma) in risk situations benefited from social services by providing educational activities – “School after School”.
2 Community Consultative Committees were established and 10 community actions were carried out. Also, equally important is the online platform https://dezvoltarelocala.ro/ developed within this project and which is updated automatically, ensuring simple access for anyone.
It should also be added that, during the 20 months of project implementation, the children benefited from “School after School” education services, and the adults – from support for education and training, support for increasing capacity and skills of integration. Tailoring workshops were organized to develop the professional skills of adults, and the ladies of the two communities showed great interest in learning a trade and making useful things for their own households.
The establishment of the Community Consultative Committees led to an increase in the self-confidence of the people of the two communities. Later, the problems of the locals in Valea Seacă and Dimăcheni were analyzed and debated with a view to solving them within some community actions, 5 actions in the community of Valea Seacă and another 5 actions in Dimăcheni. Also, the representatives of the advisory committees participated in the meetings of the City Council and represented the voice of the community presenting their needs and the problems they have.

The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

Public consultation

At the Star of Hope center in Valea Seacă, a new public consultation meeting was organized with members of the advisory committee and the community regarding the draft decision for the approval of the National Strategy on long-term care and active aging for the period 2023-2030. The advisory committee from Valea Seacă periodically consults the https://dezvoltarelocala.ro/ platform developed within the project. This platform is automatically updated online and allows any citizen access to extremely important information on draft laws, safe and truthful information that can be of use to them. So, following the consultation of the platform, the topic of the meeting in September 2022, concerned the legal decision on the active aging strategy. Discussions were held around this decision and the importance of its implementation, especially since the number of elderly people in Romania is increasing.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

We went back to school with our new schoolbags

The children from the Star of Hope Valea Seacă center happily returned to school. With the involvement of the Seacă Valley community advisory committee and the Salem Church in Norway, the children received new school bags and supplies for this school year.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

Excursion for children from the Star of Hope center

The children from the Star of Hope center in Dimăcheni had a big surprise this month. Because they learned well this school year, the team from the Star of Hope Dimăcheni center, in collaboration with the Community Advisory Committee, organized a trip to the Suceava area for them. For two days, the children visited various attractive tourist spots. They visited the John Leather shoe factory that produces shoes for the Romanian army, they visited the Sihăstria Monastery and Daniil Sihastru’s cell, the Ethnographic Museum, the zoo and the pottery workshop in the area. A reliable partner in organizing this trip was the Mutescu family from Vicovul de Jos, who took care of the children’s accommodation and meals.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

Video

Free time and hobbies

At the Star of Hope center in Valea Seacă, children spend their free time in a pleasant way and develop their practical skills. The children enjoyed activities such as chess, painting, mini-billiards, mini-football. If some of the children liked football, now they have discovered that they have other hobbies. These recreational activities are of great benefit to children as they socialize with each other, learn to work as a team and follow rules.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

During the summer vacation we work for the new school year

After having fun during the vacation and at the Summer School, the children from the Star of Hope center in Valea Secă put their bellies on the book, literally. The children come to the center every day and work hard to be ready for the new school year.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

Adult financial education course in Valea Seacă and Dimăcheni communes

Between May and July 2022, adults from Valea Seacă and Dimăcheni communes had the opportunity to participate in 6 financial education sessions given by well-trained lecturers in the field of economics, with extensive experience in entrepreneurship and social field.
It was a unique opportunity for the people of these two communities. They learned important things about how to manage their homes, about how to manage their resources, even if they are few. We want to continue and deepen these sessions because people have shown interest in this.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

The second edition of the Summer School from Valea Seacă

The Community Advisory Committee from Valea Seacă, organized for the children from Valea Seacă the second edition of the Summer School, between July 5 and 7, 2022. Three days full of fun for the children from Valea Seacă: painting workshops, sports activities, handmade, songs and good cheer.
Partners in organizing the action were Valea Seacă Gymnasium School No. 1, Star of Hope Romania Foundation and Valea Seacă commune City Hall. The joy of the children and the pleasant experiences they had and the volunteers who were with us gave us strength these days and the thought that we will repeat this experience.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

Training course – Strategic communication

Between June 27 and 30, 2022, the employees and volunteers of the Star of Hope Romania Foundation participated in the training course “Strategic Communication”, a component of the A9 organizational development activity within the project “Active social inclusion through local development”. The course took place in Frasin, Suceava County. Lecturer for the 4 days of the course was Mrs. Mihaela Munteanu, director of advocacy and communication within the Federation of Non-Governmental Organizations for Social Services. During the 4 sessions, the strategic communication and its role in the organizational structure were discussed.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.

Community greening action at the Star of Hope Center in the Seaca Valley

At the initiative of the Seaca Community Advisory Committee, community members were encouraged to act responsibly towards the environment. Thus, on June 8, 2022, several mothers in the community set their example to children and adults in the Seaca Valley and, without shame, started cleaning. They swept away the garbage, and gave everyone a lesson in good manners.
The project is implemented by Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with Association of Roma Bears from Dagata with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.