30 children, the same dream!

30 children from Dimăcheni commune benefit from homework support, psychological counseling and participate in various extracurricular actions, through the project Active Social Inclusion through Local Development.

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 Sessions Community Advisory Committees

Between April 27 and 28, 2021, the first training sessions of the members of the Community Consultative Committees from the two disadvantaged communes Valea Seacă (Bacău County) and Dimăcheni (Botoșani County) took place. During these sessions, the experts from the Roma Bears Association from Dagâța presented to the members of the community advisory committees notions regarding the judicial authority, the rule of law, the executive authority. Also, both the rights and the responsibilities that a citizen has in the community to which he belongs were brought to attention.

In May 2021, training sessions for members of the Community Advisory Committees took place weekly. During the meetings, advocacy was discussed, the advocacy campaign, the difference between lobbying and advocacy was made, both through theoretical notions and through practical examples.

 

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.

Educational activities

Every day, after the classes spent at school, the children selected within the project “Active Social Inclusion through Local Development”, benefit from support in carrying out homework and participate in various extracurricular activities. Through this activity, children from the two disadvantaged communes are helped to develop social integration skills, are guided to go to school and receive support to cope with the various situations to which they are exposed in everyday life. The great joy of children is that they also receive a sandwich or a hot soup, for most of them being the only meal of the day.

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 Advisory Committees

Within the project Active Social Inclusion for Local Development, carried out by the Star of Hope Romania Foundation in partnership with the Roma Association Ursari from Dagața, the first steps were started for setting up Community Advisory Committees from the two disadvantaged communities targeted by the project: Valea Seacă (county Bacău) and Dimăcheni (Botoșani county). The Community Advisory Committees will be composed of 10 members from each commune targeted by the project: Valea Seacă and Dimăcheni.

The members of the Community Advisory Committees will participate in 4 SESSIONS OF TRAINING AND TRANSFER OF SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE in which topics such as: facilitating/promoting/ accessing the community to fundamental rights and advocacy techniques will be addressed.

The mission of the Community Advisory Committees will be to mobilize the community to participate in regular Community actions. Following these actions, the members of the Community Consultative Committees will identify the problems of vulnerable persons and will present them during the monthly meetings of the County Council and the Local Council of Bacău and Botoșani counties for solution.

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.

Increasing the capacity of vulnerable groups through “Active Social Inclusion” and “Local Development”

The “Star of Hope” Romania Foundation and the proposed new partner, the Roma Association of Dagâța, organize the press conference to launch the project “Active Social Inclusion through Local Development”. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at 11.30, on the online platform Zoom and will bring together representatives of local authorities from Iasi, Bacau and Botosani counties, specialists in education, representatives of NGOs and community members.

Participation in the event can be done by accessing the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84217881344?pwd=SlphS2dzWGJXa1d3NjJhVm9tanRtQT09.

In the context of the pandemic, vulnerable people in disadvantaged communities need more support than ever to minimize social exclusion and injustice.

  • 170 people (of which 15 will be young people and 50 Roma) at risk of poverty or social exclusion will participate in actions to increase capacity and integration skills;
  • 70 children (of which 50 Roma) at risk will benefit from social services by providing educational activities – “School after School”;
  • 77 vulnerable adults (of which 28 young people and 53 Roma) will benefit from social services through education and skills training activities;

The project “Active Social Inclusion through Local Development” is developed by the Star of Hope Romania Foundation with the financial support of Active Citizen Fund Romania, a program funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The value of the financing is 249,975 euros. The aim of the project is to increase the capacity of vulnerable groups, including Roma citizens and young people, in the inter-ethnic and insufficiently served communes: Valea Seacă and Dimăcheni – in order to minimize Social Exclusion and Injustice and Develop integration skills.

”Why Active Social Inclusion through Local Development? Although steps have been taken in recent years to support vulnerable groups in disadvantaged communities, there is still a limited level of involvement in active measures to implement social justice and the inclusion of vulnerable groups. For this reason, through the project Active Social Inclusion through Local Development we want to expand the areas to address the problems, to increase the capacities of vulnerable groups, to develop their integration and participation skills in the community, including in the decision-making process. ” mentioned Gabriela Răducanu, project coordinator.

The project will provide social services to people in the target group by:

  • Activities to increase the capacity and skills of integration in the community;
  • Skills training activities;
  • “School after School” education activities;
  • Creation of Community Advisory Committees for the 2 disadvantaged communities targeted by the project;
  • Regular community actions for members of the 2 vulnerable communities;
  • Organizational development activities;
  • Develop an online platform to meet the needs of vulnerable groups.

The project is implemented between 01.02.2021 – 31.07.2022, in two disadvantaged communities in the North-East Region: Valea Seacă commune (Bacău county) and Dimăcheni commune (Botoșani county).

For more information, please contact:

Gabriela Răducanu, Project Coordinator of the Star of Hope Romania Foundation

Email: gbraducanu@yahoo.com

Phone: 0745254692

Adina Mihălăchiuță, Project Communication Manager Star of Hope Romania Foundation

Email: adinamihalachiuta@starofhope.ro

Phone: 0743112725

About Active Citizens Fund Romania

”The Active Citizens Fund Romania programme is funded through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The overall objective of the Grants is to reduce economic and social disparities, and to strengthen bilateral relations between 15 beneficiary countries and the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The programme is administered by a consortium composed of Civil Society Development Foundation, Romanian Environmental Partnership Foundation, Resource Center for Roma Communities, PACT Foundation and Frivillighet Norge, acting as Fund Operator designated by FMO – Financial Mechanism Office of the EEA and Norway Grants. The objectives of the Active Citizens Fund Romania are to strengthen civil society and active citizenship and to empower vulnerable groups. With a total allocation of 46,000,000 euro, the programme pursues a long-term development of the civil society sector sustainability and capacity, stepping up its role in promoting democratic participation, active citizenship and human rights, while strengthening bilateral relations with organizations from the Donor Capitolul 230 States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. For more information about the Active Citizens Fund in Romania, please go to www.activecitizensfund.ro. For more information about the EEA and Norway Grants, go to www.eeagrants.org. ”