More Roma children in district of Moldova get access to education due to project UNICEF

Chisinau, 07 May /MOLDPRES/ – A project to increase participation of Roma children in education was implemented in Vulcanesti village, Nisporeni district. As a result, 70 Roma children out of 85 in locality, currently attend school and have good academic results.

The project in Nisporeni was implemented by UN Children's Fund (UNICEF Moldova) in partnership with Youth Centre "Dacia" in November 2016 and April 2018. The main goal of programme was to change situation in Roma populated Vulcanesti village. Within the project, Roma children in this locality have benefited from learning opportunities that enable them to actively participate in education.

"Roma children are among most marginalized and excluded from the world," said UNICEF Country Representative in Moldova, Desiree Jongsma, adding that "our country is no exception, and UN Committee on the Rights of the Child urges Moldova to ensure the right to free and compulsory education for all children, both at primary and secondary levels."

"Due to close collaboration with parents of Roma children, formation of new attitudes and their active involvement in ensuring quality education for their children, was a success in the project," said head of Dacia Youth Resources Centre, Ion Babici.

The success of the project is also appreciated by its own beneficiaries. "I love school very much. I would tell others to come to school, learn to know the book," says the 8th grade pupil at secondary school in Vulcanesti, Renata Caracuian.

The most important result of the project is 70 out of 85 Roma children from Vulcanesti who currently attend school and have good results in education, and 3 out of 10 children attend kindergarten. "It is relevant given that only a year ago only seven children in the village were going to school," said Ion Babici. Other results achieved by the project are focused on educators and teachers from Vulcanesti and Cioresti, which apply new methods of work to help Roma children returning from migration, parents which are actively involved in extracurricular activities, participate in parental meetings and communicate with teachers about school success of children.

The project results are within UNICEF Moldova's priorities for improving access to quality education for all children, as well as governmental objectives set out into National Programme for Development of Inclusive Education for 2011 – 2020 and Action Plan for Supporting Roma Population in Moldova for 2016 – 2020.

(Reporter L. Grubii, editor L. Alcaza)