Humanitarian organization Alfa

Main goal:         Make the problem of education of female Roma’s visible and contribute to availability and quality education of Roma’s girls.                                                                                                                                    Specific goals     

- include Roma’s girls of Bihac municipality in preschool education, primary, and secondary school

- enabling of achievement of good results in studying and behavior   improve availability of educational institutions to needs of Roma’s girls

-increase level of conscience at Roma’s girls and their parents about need of education for better life  and achieving of their rights to a life without violence

-inform local community about significance of education of Roma’s girls

In the Roma community of Bihać, which has 700 members / Bosnia and Herzegovina /, there are specific problems when it comes to the education of Roma girls and girls, which makes their access to education even more complex. Romani women represent the least educated group of women with the highest illiteracy rate - as many as 80% of Romani women are illiterate.
Patriarchal tradition and stereotypes have contributed to preparing female children for the marriage they enter into at the age of 15 and even earlier. In frequent cases, there is a "sale of female children." This leads to a dependent attitude of young Roma women and the inability to independently manage their own choices.
Romani women are subordinate to their husbands in marriages, and to fathers and mothers in the family.
That is why it is necessary for Roma girls to be included in school, because only an educated and professionally trained Roma woman can change her socio-economic position in the family and community.
Barriers to accessing quality education for Roma girls, whether related to their gender role or generally to barriers that affect girls and boys equally, are multi-layered and deeply rooted.

1. Investigation and identifying of basic problems that Roma’s girls meet during their education in order to receive references for solving of those problems.

2. Conducting of educational and advisory work with parents in the Roma community a / workshop-training parenting skills / 10 workshops / b / Individual interviews / with 75 parents / c / home visits / 35 home visits /

3.Conducting educational work with Roma girls

a. Organization of preschool education for Roma girls.                                  b. Organization of supplementary education - educational and creative workshops for girls who are involved in teaching

process                                                                                               

4.Collaboration with elementary and secondary schools involving Roma girls will be implemented                                                     

- inclusion in educational status of Roma girls

- Individual interviews with school management and teachers in order to eliminate barriers for girls in schools

 5.Providing material and psycho-social support for Roma girls to successful integration in the process of education

a/ Providing of school books and material

b / Support for enrollment of girls in primary and secondary education / career counseling, insurance scholarships, information for parents

 6.Sensitization of the public about the life of the Roma community and problems associated with girls education will be implemented as follows

It is necessary to emphasize that in our society exists  problems
related for school education of Roma’s girls, which makes their approach
to education additionally complicated and endangered. Roma’s women
represent the least educated women’s group with highest percent of
illiteracy – 80% of female Roma’s are formally illiterate, with upper
line of four grades of primary school, without any kind of
qualification.

Patriarchal tradition and stereotypes have contributed to the fact
that in many families are considering that girls don’t need education,
especially high education, since from them is expecting to marry very
young and take care about household and children.

During registration of children in primary schools and attending
school parents gives bigger priority to boys since they need female
children to help in household and rising of younger brothers and
sisters.

Female children parents preparing for marriage very early and they are
going into marriages with age of 15, and very often even younger than
that. In many cases exists tradition of “selling of female children”.
This leads to dependable relation between young Roma’s women and their
impossibility of independent controlling of their own choices. Female
Roma’s in marriages are subservient to their husbands and in family. 

Results on which good activities have been achieved to a large extent to improve the position of the girl of the Roma community of the city of Bihać.
Girls who are involved in the teaching process will improve their position in school, have fewer absences and achieve better results in students and behavior.
The success of girls in school increases self-confidence and they will have a better position in school and the local community.
Parents will understand the importance of education for female children.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, little is paid to the life and progress of national minorities, including the Roma. Our organization wants to fix that, so that the Roma have greater rights, especially the right to education. We want Roma women to get out of poverty, and they can only do that if they are educated. Education gives them a chance to choose their own life path and to realize their dreams.In the Roma community of Bihać, Roma women do not have a job but make money by selling old clothes at the market or collecting iron to feed themselves and their children.Our solution will lead to a better position of Roma women in the family and community.

Girls will achieve good results in learning, governing and socializing.
Teachers in schools will reduce discrimination against them and this will put them on an equal footing with others.
Awareness among Roma girls and their parents about the need for education will increase in order to have a better chance in later life.
The local community will learn about the life of Roma women and the importance of education for girls.