In Slovakia, there is a large Roma community. In most cases, they live in isolated settlements, separate from the rest of the population. The Roma community is a social group of Slovak society which is faced with multiple and interrelated problems which increase their exclusion. Indeed, the vast majority of Roma remain marginalised and live in almost total social exclusion in many aspects of everyday life. The way in which Roma people survive and raise children is incompatible with the institution of education, which is why a large percentage of Roma are completely illiterate.
The project promoter aims to strengthen operation of the organisation REYN - Roma Early Years Network Slovakia, the member of International REYN network, established to advocate for the Roma population in Slovakia, and increase their inclusion by the State in consultation processes regarding Roma issues.
The project promoter also plans to map actual level of non-formal education among Roma children in early age as well as their parents, and provide national authorities with their findings and proposals. Based on these findings the project promoter plans to advocate for system changes, cooperate with local stakeholders and authorities and create action plans based on the special needs in education of Roma communities. The project promoter will further continue enhancing the skills of educators of REYN Slovakia in cooperation with Croatian and Hungarian REYN organisations, share best practices and improve knowledge gained.
Project promoter strongly believes that focusing efforts on non-formal education in early age and support provided to parents in order to facilitate school attendance of Roma children will bring progress to the Roma community as a whole.