A contract for the legalization of housing of Roma people is signed. Open Society Foundation, civil organization National Roma Centrum from Kumanovo and the association for humanitarian housing Habitat Macedonia signed a contract on January the 18th. The project should provide financial, administrative and technical support in legalization of the homes of Roma people and it will last from 2012 till 2015. The total budget for the project amounts on 905.208 american dollars. NRC’s president Ashmet Elezovski showed aspirations to inform Roma people about the legalization of their homes through the project, and then to fully help them in the process of legalization. For that purpose the National Roma Centrum has already opened a Resource Center in Kumanovo where all interested Roma people will gain technical legal assistance.

Housing is one of the four important pillars of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015.

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The aim of this press release is to inform about the publishing of a document entitled Reducing Health Inequalities in Antenatal and Postnatal Care of Romani Women in the Republic of Macedonia – Policy Action Brief.

The report findings and the analysis show the disadvantages and the course to improve the access to qualitative health care. The recommendations in this policy action brief are a clear guide for future actions in the area of reproductive health in the system of health care.

In the frames of its activities, the National Roma Centrum for several years has been working on advocacy for a gradual implementation of the right to health with focus on reproductive health, on-time and qualitative healthcare services for female members of the Roma community.

The association National Roma Centrum within the project activities “Health Inequalities regarding Romani Women” in the period between November 2010 and November 2011 intensively worked on a research on the health care in the reproductive period of women in the Roma community. Thanks to the support from the Accountability and Monitoring in Health Initiative (AMHI) of the Open Society Institute New York and the Roma Health Program (RHP) of the Open Society Institute Budapest, NRC obtained data showing the disadvantages and the course to improve the access to qualitative health care.

Within the project activities, collection of data and assessment of the situation in the area of health inequalities at women’s reproductive period was carried out with a questionnaire on a representative sample of focus groups and in-depth interviews with target groups from other areas concerned. The qualitative research was based on 102 women in reproductive period (aged 15 to 49) organised in 10 focus groups in Kumanovo, Kriva Palanka, Kochani, Shtip and Bitola, as well as 25 individual interviews with officials of the Institute for Public Health of the Republic of Macedonia, the Office for Management of Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths, the Health Insurance Fund of Macedonia, health institutions directly providing services of reproductive health (representatives of departments of gynaecology and obstetrics or gynaecologists, counselling centres for reproductive health and patronage services).

Contact person

Sebihana Skenderovska

E-mail: skenderovska@nationalromacentrum.org

Website: www.nationalromacentrum.org

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Within the “Health Inequities regarding Romani Women” project, NRC conducted a research on the access offered and the services Romani women use in periods of pregnancy, birth and nursing.

A reality is women members of the Roma community who lack conditions and opportunities to look after their health due to numerous reasons: inequality, continuous discrimination, illiteracy and unemployment, a fact that puts them on the edges of a society.

Also, unequal access and unequal opportunities are problems Romani women face with during pregnancy and motherhood. In these periods, reproductive health, qualitative health care as well as social well-being are of an enormous importance in a life of every young mother. The report from the focus groups and the interviews provide data on perception, opinions and experiences from these periods of Romani women from the five target towns of Kumanovo, Shtip, Kriva Palanka, Kochani and Bitola.

The same included specific recommendations by women members of the Roma community from the target towns and from officials of institutions at national and local level.

The Republic of Macedonia is one of the signatory countries of the Decade of Roma in 2005 together with other 8 countries from South-Eastern Europe. All counties took on an obligation to come up with and achieve practical solutions to improve the situation of Romani people in the 4 priority areas of employment, education, housing and health. It was recommended to devote a special attention on improving the situation of Romani women in all these areas.

Civic associations and initiatives have been taking actions for some time to become sensitive and to discuss the question of the vulnerable position of a Romani woman. Also, efforts to identify reasons and to find solutions that directly influence on improvement of the situation of Romani women in the priority areas are made.

Our task is to be a Roma voice in the institutions on a national and international level and to promote equal participation of Roma in the society.

National Roma Centrum continues its work with the communities in 15 cities. We have been working on encouraging of Roma in realization of their rights according to law. This contributed for us to receive a clear and real image about the active participation of Roma children in primary education in 15 cities, where we had been working in the pre enrollment period, the start of the school year and attendance of pupils.

Our direct beneficiaries are Roma, but in order to create a positive atmosphere we provided assistances and for non Roma citizens. About 50 citizens turn to the office for legal assistance on daily basis. NRC assists in providing personal documentation, approach to health institutions, etc.

NRC from the beginning of the Roma Decade has been working on activities which are directly related to the Decade. NRC’s activities that refer to advocacy, free legal assistance, health, education, personal documentation are part of the process of the Decade.

The European Union supports the implementation of the “Good start” program that aims towards development of children between 0 and 6 year olds.

The project is financed with 2 million euro budget and is being implemented through pilot projects which will adapt to local conditions in four countries – Macedonia, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary in 16 settlements. The purpose is that until the end of the program to achieve efficient and successful involvement and support to over 4000 small children and their families in these four countries.

In Macedonia at the beginning of the school year, in five localities (three urban and two rural) – in Suto Orizari, Vinica, Delcevo, Trabotiviste and Crnik – individual program elements began. Three local NGOs are implementing the planned activities, National Roma Centrum – Kumanovo, Roba Education Center – “Umbrella” – Suto Orizari (Skopje) and NGO “Kham” – Delcevo. All of these organizations are experienced, initiative, active NGO’s on the field of education.

The purpose of the “Good start” program is support of education and care in early childhood with focus on families and communities while working with institutions.

The magazine EDNO is being published since 2008 under the motto ‘one education for all’. In the period until 2010 it was being published monthly and it was financed by the Roma Educational Fund from Budapest.

After one year of pause the editorial stuff of EDNO changed it’s motto in ‘we are all one’ by which the range of topics of the magazine extended on health, employment and housing also. The extension was provided by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway and the Embassy of the Republic of France in Macedonia.

EDNO continues acting towards giving voice to the underprivileged; providing access to and from information of the Roma community; reminding the authorities of the undertaken responsibilities; putting pressure on the them in order to be more effective, more transparent and open for dialogue; raising the quality in reporting about the real problems Roma people and all other citizens of this country face with.

Edno will be present in macedonian media space as the only medium focused on the rights of Roma people, on all marginalized groups, all communities irrespective of their nationality, religion or political orientation. Before all, respect of human rights in general. Because we strongly believe that rights are not given, but gained with birth, because we are all ONE!

With this magazine we want to present things as they really are, before all on field, but also on paper, in laws, through photos, life stories, history…

For better and more virtuous life of us all – One!

The aim of thic comic strip is to influence students included in the educational system at the age 8-10 overcome stereotype barriers, it is also going to be used as a tool for animating and directing children’s interests towards illustrated art and it will contribute to increase tolerance.

The comic strip was published and issued by the National Roma Centrum and it was made in the frames of the project ‘Our stories’ implemented by the Next page foundation from Bulgaria and with financial support from the Open Society Institute – Budapest and the Europen Cultural Foundation.

The comic strip was published according to the eponymous narrative by Irfan Martez and illustrated by Frosina Trendafilovska.

The distribution of the comic strip in elementary schools with greater procentage of roma students is supported by the Develpement and Improvemnet of Community languages Office.

Preview ”Friends”

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Representatives from Amnesty International Sian Jones and Anita Brkanic visited the National Roma Centrum on December, 7 2011.The meeting was dedicated to sharing information, knowledge and experiences.

The guests were informed by NRC about their previous activities and achieved results. A special accent in the discussion was put on the problem Roma people have with personal ID’s, the way the law on preventing and protection from discrimantion is implemented in Macedonia, as well as on the problems in legalization of illegaly built facilities.

The representatives from Amnesty International showed satisfaction from the meeting and willingness for collaboration in the field of more effective protection of human rights in Macedonia.

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NRC informed the mayor of Kumanovo, mr. Zoran Damjanovski about thier activities in the area of education, health, personal identifications and housing and underlined the need of more intensive communication with the municipality with regards to more efficient outstripping of difficulties Roma people in Kumanovo are facing.

The mayor showed interess for the activities of NRC and approved providing communication between the organization and the municipality.

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