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Since
January 2009 NSHC implements "Inclusion of Roma Elders
through Social Interaction - IRESI" project, as continuation
of Roma Humanitarian Assistance Programme (RHAP),
successfully implemented during 2007 and 2008.
IRESI has
been implemented in municipalities where, with the support
from local self-governances, social clubs for elderly Roma
were established:
Beocin, Sombor (Backi Monostor village),
Vrsac, Zitište (Torak village), Backa Palanka (Tovarisevo
village).
Direct beneficiaries of IRESI
are Roma born before 9 May 1945, victims of Nazi regime
during the World War II. There are 404 direct beneficiaries,
while indirect beneficiaries are other members of Roma
community and non-Roma local population as well.
Activities organized within
IRESI are:
a) Daily club activities (socializing
between Roma and with non-Roma population, watching TV,
playing social games, creative activities, etc.)
b) Marking important dates, such
as World Roma Day, Victory Day, International Holocaust
Remembrance Day, International Elderly Persons Day,
religious holidays, etc.
c) Special events: visits to
cultural and historical monuments, visits to other clubs,
field trips, etc.
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From August
2007 till the end of November 2008 NSHC has implemented the
Roma Humanitarian Assistance Programme (RHAP). The project's
goal was to improve living conditions of elderly Roma and to
enhance their social inclusion.
RHAP was financially supported by the German
Foundation „Remembrance, Responsibility, Future“. NSHC
implemented this project in partnership with International
Organization for Migration
(IOM). Direct beneficiaries of RHAP were 900 elderly Roma
born before 9 May 1945.
The project
was implemented in 9 municipalities of Vojvodina (northern
province of Serbia):
Novi Sad, Sombor (Backi
Monostor village), Srbobran, Beocin, Sremski Karlovci, Titel,
Apatin, Secanj, Vrsac, Zitište, Backa Palanka, Bac and
Zrenjanin.
The
following types of assistance were offered during the
project implementation:
· Material
assistance in parcels of food, hygienic products, firewood
and blankets (winter assistance). Each direct beneficiary
received 4 parcels of food, 2 parcels of hygienic products,
3 square meters of firewood and 2 blankets.
· Medical
assistance encompassed doctors' and nurses' assistance at
home and in social clubs. There were 11 MDs and 11 nurses
engaged in the field. They provided 6,356 (doctors) and
9,619 (nurses) services, such as measuring blood pressure,
measuring blood glucose level, medical advice, nutrition
advice, etc. Medical teams also worked 4 hours a week in
social clubs. Beneficiaries also received medicines free of
charge. Considering all this, many of them got their health
condition significantly improved during the course of the
project.
· 
Social assistance was provided within so-called social
clubs, established in Novi Sad, Apatin, Sombor, Zrenjanin, Beocin, Vrsac,
and Backa Palanka.
Beneficiaries and their friends and relatives used club
premises to spend their time socializing with others,
watching TV, playing social games, making crafts, etc. Apart
from that, once a month special events were organized such
as visits to spas, visits to other clubs, short trips and
visits to cultural and other monuments, etc. There were 161
such event organized.
· Legal
assistance was organized as field assistance and provision
of legal advice to beneficiaries. Most often the lawyer
assisted in obtaining documents for those Roma who fled from
Kosovo in 1999. A trip to southern Serbia for those who
needed their personal documents was organized, in order for
them to personally file for documents. Legal assistance was
also provided to those who wanted to apply for state's
bonds.
During the
project a total of 7 "mini projects" was realized in the
following municipalities:
Beocin, Sombor (Backi Monostor),
Zitište, Backa Planaka, Apatin, and Secanj. The projects
were supported by local communities as well.
In Beocin, a playground for children was renovated with the
new benches in the park near Roma settlement. In Zitiste two
public fountains were built in villages of Torak and
Jarkovac, where RHAP beneficiaries are living. In Torak the
club for elderly was established. In Backi Monostor a public
fountain and a mini-park were built near the Roma
settlement. In Apatin a public fountain was built in Roma
settlement, while in Tovarisevo a public bath was built. In
Secanj, a public fountain was built.
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