Between the 5th and 7th of August 2016, 9 journalists and bloggers ventured into one of the poorest regions of Romania, the South. Yet, as they soon found out, conditions been improving in 12 communities from Gorj, Dolj and Olt counties, since 2013 when 7 partners begun implementing the zefiR project and improved Roma people’s access to education, health and housing.
There are a lot of basic needs to cover, and local people have tried their best to get involved and create new opportunities in their home communities. The media trip in the South enabled the 9 journalists and bloggers to meet with these actors of change and to hear their story. Staff from Tdh and the PACT Foundation accompanied their guests, together with friends from who narrated the local history, legends and traditions.
The first stop was at Baia de Fier, in Gorj county, where mediators, teachers and facilitators told us how the health-care center supports mothers in the community, and how the intercultural education program and social-inclusion events support children to fulfil their potential. Part of their story can be found.
The next day, after a brief stop at Amarastii de Jos, we reached Ocolna, in Dolj County. Members of the local initiative group told us how they had opened a health center in the community, to spare people from long distance travels – up to 12 kilometers – to access basic health services.
Here we learned how after-school programs for children help them to break the circle of social exclusion, and increase their chances to complete their education. https://goldessayclub.com/. More details about local people in Ocolna and their initiatives can be found.
In Piatra Olt, in Olt county, we visited homes that had been renovated, together with members from the community. We met with the local initiative group and talked about community needs and future interventions. Their story is.
The last stop on our trip was Slatina. The community center for social-medical assistance opened in 2014 for the Roma community. It supports 3,000 people who receive guidance and are helped to improve their long-term health.
Through the media trip in the South, we found that education and community development were basic needs for many, just as important as electricity or access to health care. At grassroots level, people in the South often take initiative to make change themselves and overcome shortcomings. The experience of touring in the South is best summarized in the words of Ramona Surlea, community facilitator in Piatra Olt: “The best thing about visiting a village for the first time is to discover that there are people you can rely on”.