Roma Program

ROMA BALKAN PROGRAMME 2007-2009

With the financial support by the international organization Oxfam Novib from the Netherlands, on January 1, 2007 Civic Initiatives have initiated a new three-year cycle of support to self-organizing of the Roma population and development of its capacities for improvement of living conditions in accordance with their own needs. The programme is based on the lessons learned, experience and results achieved in the previous programme (Balkan Roma Integrative Programme, implemented in the period 2003-2006) being its continuation. It has been conceived as a multi-year and comprehensive support to the selected Roma partner organizations, so that by the end of 2009 the entire programme would achieve the following aims:

1. Make possible development of more efficient initiatives for reduction of discrimination in the field of Roma education and improvement of women's position through financial support to the local Roma NGOs projects;
2. Increase the participation of the Roma population in creating local policies of the community by capacity and identity building of local Roma NGOs through education;
3. Empower Roma women's organizations for more efficient recognition and response to the needs of Roma women in their local communities;
4. Spread the good practice model of improvement of the position of Roma in the local environment by encouraging closer cooperation and exchange of experiences between local Roma NGOs and their partners;
5. Accelerate the process of creation of functional legislation for implementation of international standards and treaties on Roma inclusion and/or have an impact on the improved implementation of the current legal framework;
6. Increase the openness and sensitivity of media for Roma issues;
7. Reduce the number of Roma children in special schools through adaptation and creation of new mechanisms for elementary schools enrollment policy.

6 local Roma organizations were selected through a competition procedure, which will have 3 parallel forms of support through partnership with Civic Initiatives, specifically:

1. Financial (Development Fund) - for 2 or 3 consecutive projects, total duration 2.5 years (April 2007-September 2009), with a provisional amount of €20,000 at the annual level and with the obligation to have independent financial audit conducted. The opportunity for cooperation till the termination of the programme will depend on the quality of cooperation and results achieved.
2. Educational - organization of a series of trainings and consultations for the staff/activists of partner organizations, based on the established needs of each of them, with reference to the field of planning and organization and project management, fundraising, advocacy, negotiation, public relations, gender equality, mobilisation of the community. With trainings were entrusted the Team TRI trainers and the trainings will be organized in the premises of the organizations.
3. Linking and Advocacy - support to stronger linking and exchange of experiences of partner organizations through joint meetings, trainings, mutual visits and joint actions, both among themselves and organizations that were included in the programme earlier, or with the existing networks.

SELECTION OF PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

The Programme stipulates two categories of Roma partner organizations, specifically:

a) Two most successful organizations from the previous programme and
b) Four Roma organizations that have not been included in the programme so far or the ones that were included in the final phase only.

On the basis of recommendations by different actors of the Roma movement of Serbia, Civic Initiatives programme team invited 15 organizations to submit their CVs in a specific form. According to the results of analysis of the submitted CVs, the competition material was forwarded to organizations that met the following criteria:

• it is a registered Roma nongovernmental organization;
• it deals with the field of education and/or strengthening of the position of Roma women in the society;
• it has a regular and direct communication with the Roma population in the local environment;
• it has experience in independent implementation of not less than one project;
• it is open for changes and strengthening in organizational and institutional terms;
• it respects democratic principles and gender equality;
• it meets basic conditions for work and communication: premises, telephone line, computer, internet;

Besides these criteria, the final decision on selection of 6 partner organizations was based on the assessment of quality and justifiability of the project proposal submitted by the organizations for the competition for funds of the Roma Development Fund 2007-2009.

WHAT FIELDS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE FUND?

Funds of the Roma Development Fund are earmarked for the financial support to the projects oriented towards reduction of discrimination in the field of Roma education and improvement of position of Roma women, which are harmonized with the uniform Roma Decade Action Plans. The supported projects are in compliance with the main activities of the organization and they address the following topics:

• Raising awareness of the Roma community on importance of education and employment of Roma women;
• Raising sensitivity of the public and local authorities for the issue of participation of Roma women in the public life;
• Capacity building of Roma women for taking more active part in the public life of the community;
• Improvement of conditions for inclusion and keeping the Roma children in the system of regular education;
• Strengthening responsibility of local authorities and institutions in creation of system solutions for Roma education;
• Motivating Roma parents to give support and to have a more responsible approach to education of their children.

With evaluation and selection of projects was entrusted a five-member Advisory Body, while the final decision on the selection was made by the Oxfam Novib Donor's Commission. Through this process were selected the following partner organizations:

Presentation of the programme "Balkan Roma Integrative Programme 2003-2006" - prepared and designed by the partner organization RIC Kragujevac in the scope of the programme activities