Summary of the project
European programme for the development of local initiatives for Roma and Travellers' inclusion
Project location and duration:
Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and France
1st January 2007 - 31 December 2007Total Budget: 261 170 euros
A. BASIC INFORMATION:
Name of organization: FNASAT - Gens du voyage (FNASAT)Name of contact person: Charlotte Boisse
Address : 59, rue de l'Ourcq, 75019 PARIS (France)
Telephone : +33 (0)1.40.35.00.04
Fax :+33 (0)1.40.35.12.40
Email : Charlotte.boisse@fnasat.asso.frList of participating organizations:
- The Romanian NGO called Dreptate si Fratie (Slobozia)
- The Romanian NGO called Opération Villages Roumains (Bacau)
-The Romanian NGO called "l’association des mairies du Sud de l’Olténie" (Giurgita)
- The supportive agency for work (Somotor)
- The Slovakian NGO called Nadacia Skola dokoran (Ziar nad Hronom)
- The Slovakian NGO called Community – Place for Everyone (Kezmarok)
- The High School for Roma of Kosice & Romano lil (Kosice)
- The regional Court of Kezmarok (Kezmarok)
- Integro Association Bulgaria (Razgrad)
- Human Rights Step by Step Association (Varna)
- The local council of Lom Municipality (Lom)
- The Humanitarian Department of Sofia Municipality (Sofia)
- The Ethnic and Demographic Issues Directorate of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers (Sofia)
- The Bulgarian Ministry for Education (Sofia)
- Studii Romani (Sofia)
- The Catholic Committee for Food and Development (Paris)
- The French NGO called Artag (Lyon)
- Taverny Municipality (Ile de France)
- Trade union of municipalities for Travellers in Haute Garonne (Toulouse)
- The French Ministry for Social Affairs (Paris)
- The French Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Paris)
B. PROJECT PROPOSAL
The Roma community faces major problems in education. In Bulgaria only 15 percent of Roma children attend high school, in Romania only 10% do.
One of the major explanations for this, in addition to the spatial segregation of the Roma children into specialized schools, is that our education systems are not adapted to the life and culture of Roma people. Roma people transmit their values, knowledge and skills through their family life. Knowledge is transmitted through the stories, myths and proverbs of older adults. Roma children learn throughout their life through what is called informal education. However, our society does not recognize this type of savoir faire, developed outside of school. Therefore, this program for Roma and Travellers aims to support Bulgarian, Romanian, Slovakian, and French Associations to develop initiatives on informal and non-formal education.The PECO committee, during its work with the Collective Roma Program observed that these types of initiatives play an important role in integrating Roma and Travellers. This program for Roma and Travellers is therefore the operational follow-up to the Collective Roma Program.
This year, this Program received technical and financial aid from the French Foreign Affairs' Ministry. This created close cooperation between the former and the latter and the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs should support FNASAT to bring aid to non governmental organisations over the next three years.
This year, funds will be allocated firstly to local projects in Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. Hence the recent call for projects. Secondly, once the French Foreign Ministry's aid is confirmed for the second year, a call for projects will be published for French organizations.In total this programme will support 8 organisations.
The main goals of this program are to promote the implementation of national policies for the integration of Roma, Gypsies and Travellers in Bulgaria, Romania, France and Slovakia; to enhance dialogue and knowledge exchanges between the majority population and the Roma population in the participating countries; and finally, to buttress advocacy strategies and to support major players working in the region.
In this way, the project is a major priority.
Implementation of the project will be carried out by 4 different groups:
" FNASAT :
FNASAT is the main coordinator of the program. FNASAT will monitor to insure that the program is carried out properly and that the funds are used appropriately." The Trans-National Pilot Committee :
The TNPC will insure that the correct orientation of the program.
The Trans-National Pilot Committee (TNPC) is made up of 2 local authority representatives, 2 representatives from non governmental organizations and 2 State representatives. The TNPC meets twice yearly: December 2006, to validate the guidelines for the call for projects, March 2007 in order to choose 6 projects from the Bulgarian, Romanian, and Slovakian associations and later, to choose 2 projects from French organisations.
The TNPC will then give support to the groups in their implementation, and to insure that good practices are used. It will inform of good practices so as to enhance the strategy building for advocacy as developed by the National Working Groups." National Working Groups (NWG):
Each NWG will be lead by a National Coordinator. The NWG will be made up of the organizations chosen by the TNPC along with their institutional and association partners. Additionally, members of the TNPC can work in cooperation with the NWG. It is important to underline the role of local institutions in these NWGs. This idea is of utmost importance to the program in its quest to involve local authorities in the work being done for the integration of Roma communities. Therefore, for a project to be chosen, the organization must have already established a partnership with a local governmental entity.
In each country involved in the project the NWG will:
Follow-through in the development of the projects; create a network of players to meet, work together and exchange good practices; keep an updated log of initiatives and practices; define and work on strategies for advocacy with public authorities in order to facilitate the implementation of national public policy for the integration of Roma people.
A facilitator will be named for each NWG. The nomination will take place following project selection in March. This person will then be the national coordinator." Expert Group and validation of the program :
This group brings expertise to the TNPC, to scientifically validate the orientation of the program.
The group is made up of Mr. Alain Reyniers, an ethnologist and scientific director of the FNASAT Revue Etudes tsiganes (Gypsy Studies Review) and Mrs. Elena Mariushiakova and Mr. Popov Veselin, ethnologists and researchers for the Studii Romani documentation centre.
(III) TARGET GROUP/BENEFICIARIES:
Roma participation is of utmost importance to this program. The Roma community is the target group of the program. Our main priority is to work for the implementation of national policies for the integration of the Roma people. The direct target group is therefore the children, parents and families of the Roma community.
Within the guidelines of the call for projects which was recently published, Roma involvement in the development and drafting of the projects is one of the most important criteria used when selecting projects. The selection committee (the TNPC) will look carefully at how the organizations consulted with and considered the Roma community in the early stages of the project. It will be important to establish that the Roma community is treated equally and has an important role in the project. Gender equality will also be an important criterion.Projects carried out by the Roma community but which target the majority population will be permitted as well. This is because, the Roma community would benefit from such project one of the main goals of this program is to enhance and support dialogue between Roma communities and the majority community in the given country.
(IV) STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION:
The program is carried out on a Regional European Level. It brings together the most important players in the field. Therefore, many people are involved and affected. However, the major beneficiaries are Roma and non-Roma organizations. However, the selection committee (the TNPC) pays careful attention to insure Roma association representation. Indeed, the Roma community is equitably represented in the TNPC.
The associations will be chosen based on their application. If chosen they will receive a grant. Therefore, this program will assist associations with a focus on informal and non-formal education and working towards the integration of Roma peoples, and bring enhanced visibility to their projects.
The program aims at facilitating cooperation between organizations and to enhance networking too. The creation of NWG, lead by a national coordinator, will make it possible for organizations to develop and use advocacy strategies on a national level. These groups will be comprised of the grant receiving associations and local public authorities. The multifaceted members of these groups will give them heightened clout in their advocacy role. The aim of this is to encourage the implementation of national public policy which either does not exist or is not applied in many territories.
2007 Period: First Year of Projects
" Selection, implementation, and monitoring of 6 local projects in Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Romania
(March 2007- March 2008)
" Forming of National Working Groups and nomination of national coordinators (March 2007)
" Beginning of transversal activities of the program(beginning in April 2007) :
- Development of communication, capitalization and evaluation tools.
- Organisation of meeting with European and National InstitutionsFull Project Period : 2006 - 2010
" Forming of the Trans-national Pilot Committee (July 2006 - October 2006)
" Trans-national Pilot Committee Meeting (December 2006)
" Call for Projects for Bulgarian, Slovakian and Romanian associations (January 2007)
" Second Call for Projects for French associations (September 2007)
" Selection, implementation and follow-up of 8 three-year projects (March 2007 - March 2010)
" Implementation of National Working Groups and nomination of National Coordinators (Beginning in March 2007)
" Transversal Activities of the program (2007 - 2010):
Development of communication, capitalization and evaluation tools. Meetings with European and National Institutions
(VI) PROJECT BEGINNING / END OF THE PROJECT
1st January 2007 - 31 December 2007
(VII) POLICY ENVIRONMENT OF THE PROJECT :
The primary objective of this project is to encourage Governments to implement the existing national policies concerning the Roma Community and to make them be increasingly targeted and effective. This includes ensuring that Governments put forth the training and funds promised, and needed, for this purpose. For this reason, we have created the Trans-national Pilot Committee - a multi-faceted group - and the National Working Groups - made up of individuals working in the field for many years. For this reason, the program will work, including but not limited to, the following:
" To encourage States to recognize informal and non-formal forms of educations (Development of evaluation systems of Roma knowledge and skills: occupational training programs and qualification certificates)
" Enhance the wherewithal of NGOs to work together and offer services within the community
" Work to collect data and develop a system of indexes to evaluate quality and quantity for education and racial discrimination.
(VIII) PROJECT OUTCOMES:
Expected results:
1. 8 local projects are implemented with respect to the objectives of the Rom Decade.
2. Roma and non Roma NGOs work together, reinforce their capacity and diffuse their good practices and data on the Roma educative situation.
3. Local Authorities work within the NWG by virtue of their participation in the projects (on the condition that they've established a partnership with a local public authority)
4. Dialogue between the Roma and non-Roma communities is enhanced with the projects and because of local public authority involvement.
5. Advocacy strategies are determinate by national working groups and carried out by national coordinators and members of the Trans-national pilot Committee.Indicators
1. Each grant receiving organization will draft and send a yearly quantitative and qualitative report for funding for the following year.
2. The NWG's will keep minutes of their meetings. They may also compile records of good practices and an overview of and statistics on the Roma community education system.
3. The application form for a grant as well as the minutes from the meetings will be verified so as to establish the participation of a local public authority in the NWGs.
4. A poll will be carried out in non-Roma communities in the geographical location where the project is being implemented.
5. Strategies will be written and passed around. The coordinator's job will be checked using the following tools: task-specific timesheets, which enables the recipient to clearly document the time the given employee has spent on project-related tasks and other tasks.
6. Participation of trans-national committee members at the bi-annual meetings
7. Meeting with European institutions
The program is planned for a three year period (2007-2010). Therefore, we proposed at each backer to set up a mid-term partnership.
This program is in line with the major guidelines of the Roma Decade. It encourages the implementation of national public strategies for the integration of Roma peoples and puts NGO involvement at the heart of the program.
Thanks to the governments and public authorities' involvement, we expect to put forth adequate funding for the implementation of public integration policies and to develop adequate integration strategies and even that local authorities take over the implementation of part of the project as begun during this program.
(X)PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STAFF:
As with the Collective Roma Project carried out by the PECO Committee, this project has received the technical and financial support of the French Foreign Ministry. We are working closely together. Additionally, the foundation of France and the city of Paris supports us.
1) FNASAT is the contracting authority and the overall coordinator of the project which means that FNASAT is caring for recruiting a part time coordinator, selecting the Committee members, organizing and animating national and trans-national meetings, fundraising and communicating, monitoring and auditing projects. The secretary of the programme is also assumed by Fnasat.
2) The Trans-national Pilot Committee is made up of the following experts in the major fields of the program:
Mr Gheorghe Gurlea, Dreptate si Fratie (Slobozia), Mr Francisc Giurgiu, Opération Villages Roumains (Bacau), Mrs Eva Koncokova, Nadacia Skola dokoran (Ziar nad Hronom), Mme Anna Koptova, Director of the High School for Roma of Kosice & Romano lil (Kosice), Mr Biser Alekov, Integro Association Bulgaria (Razgrad), Mr Nikolai Kirilov, Chairperson of the local council of Lom Municipality, Mrs Evelina Doseva, Delegate of European Roma and Travellers Forum (Sofia), Mr Iossif Nounev, Senior Expert for the Bulgarian Ministry for Education (Sofia), Mrs Julie Biro, Project manager at the Catholic Committee for Food and Development (Paris), Mr Marc Garonne, representing the French Ministry for Social Affairs (Paris), Mr Alain Canonne, representing the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Paris).3) National coordinators
The National Coordinators will be chosen from the Trans-national Pilot Committee and will be representatives from the NGO sector. The National Coordinators will be facilitators and will have the following duties:
Promote dialogue between the two grant receiving projects ; create and facilitate a network of players; collect and spread good practices and results of the organizations and their projects ; work as advocate as determined by the Working groups; work with the national and local public institutions and communicate with Fnasat.