Partner: Concordia Humanitarian Organisation
Beneficiaries: 36 Roma children and 25 adults from Ploiesti, coming from a poor family background
Localisation: Ploieşti, Prahova County
Launch year: 2015
Budget: 220,152 lei
Project target:
Preventing school dropout, reducing truancy and improving school activity for the children living in the Mimiu neighborhood of Ploiesti, Prahova County.
Context:
On the Mimiu ourskirts of Ploiesti over 90% of the resident population is of Roma ethnicity. These are poor families mostly living in poverty. Some of the children here have never attended school, while others are prone to dropout. According to the information published by the Prahova Education Department, most of the children who have dropped out of school between 2013 and 2014 were primary school students (119 cases) and secondary school students (212 cases). This situation is caused by the fact that most of their parents are unemployed, and their living conditions are dire. Apart from childrens’ basic needs (food, clothing), a major issue is the emotional trauma which might cause behavioral problems.
The solution:
In order to improve school attendance and results, the Mimiu children are being helped with their homework, they are involved in educational extracurricular activities and are supported through counseling and therapy sessions. Due to the fact that food can be an issue for these families, children are being offered a hot meal a day at the Cristina Daily Center, and sometimes this is the only meal they have all day.
Moreover, there are counseling and information services (personal hygiene, schooling, finding employment) offered to at least 25 adult members of children’s families.
