Last evening we met with dear friends to celebrate eight years of involvement in the Roma Health Scholarship Program story in Romania. We thank all those who were with us, we thank all fellows of the program for their wonderful development, and we thank the artists Anelise Sălan and Petruţ Călinescu for documenting medical activity of young Roma doctors.

Carmen, Cristian, Adina, Alina, Cătălin, Daniel, Raluca, Sorin, Andrei, and Corina chose to devote their lives learning how to cure others. They are ten of many other Roma youth who study medicine and achieve academic recognition in Roma Health Scholarship Program.

Five young Roma, fellows of Roma Health Scholarship Program, were happy to share their life stories. Some of them are doctors and some of them will become doctors soon. And their stories are not unique.

Sorin is a medicine student at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy ”Grigore T. Popa”, in Iași. He was born and raised in Băciociu, a small village in Bacău, located near the Siret river. More than a third of the people in the village are Roma ethnics, so is Sorin, who comes from a traditional Roma family, native speakers of the Romani language.

Robert is doing his internship in general medicine. He studied and graduated at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, in Bucharest. His mother is a Roma ethnic, and his father is Romanian and he works as a florist. His parents didn’t think of him becoming a doctor, but they determined him to learn a lor so Robert figured it out by himself. He always wished for more, not because he wasn’t pleased with what he had at home, but because he believed that it was the right thing to do. Of course his parents supported him and they are very proud of him.

Carmen graduated the Dental Medicine School at “Grigore T. Popa” University in Iași. Her parents wanted her to be a musician, as her father, so all the way until college she was studying piano and was preparing for her admission at the Conservatory. But Carmen had a different plan. She dreamt to become a dentist since she was a child.

Alina Călin is the first Roma intern in the surgery clinic of the Emergency Hospital in Iași. Her colleagues and teachers describe her as an extremely passionate and responsible intern. Alina comes from a large family, with four brothers, a home mother and a father that works as a long way driver. The decision of becoming a doctor also came from a family event, when one of her brothers had a car accident and needed urgent medical care and surgery. That is how Alina decided to be a doctor.

Daniel comes from Călărași, and right now he’s doing his internship on paediatric surgery at the “Marie Curie” Children Emergency Hospital, in Bucharest. He is a roma ethnic and he assumes that with dignity; he even regrets that he didn’t learn the Romani language back when he had time for that. He never has trouble communicating with his patients. Daniel works with children, so communication is an important aspect of his job.

Two future Roma doctors, scholars of Roma Health Scholarship Program, Gabriela Chirea and Sorin Lăcătuș, are the first to present first aid video tutorials in Romani language (subtitled in Romanian). They explain important procedures that everyone can do to save the life of a family member or a person unknown.

Someone’s been electrocuted and you want to save that person. How do you do that?

You want to save someone that suffered bone fractures. How do you do that?

You want to save a hurt person that is losing blood. How do you do that?

You find a person that fainted and you want to save him/her. How do you do that?

28 Romanian and International human rights organizations criticize the initiative to amend the definition of family in the Romanian Constitution

Opening: Thursday, 07/07, 7pm, MNAC
In the presence of Minister of Culture, Corina Şuteu, MNAC Director , Calin Dan and ActiveWatch President, Mircea Toma

ActiveWatch is one of the 46 institutions that joined the Committee “Coalition against the poverty”. The structure was built in order to monitor the implementation of the Strategy against the poverty and to assist the local authorities in the process of elaboration and implementation of the programs aiming at reducing the poverty in Romania. ActiveWatch considers its implication in the Coalition as being extremely important bearing in mind that one of the most acute problems in Romania is the extreme poverty.

Bucharest, 21 March 2013

Policy Center for Roma and Minorities together with ActiveWatch Romania and Agentia Împreună raise serious concern on the declarations of the Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta during a 23 minutes interview on HARDtalk show on BBC World News on 19 March 2013. During the interview, Mr. Ponta’s statements reflected and further enforced the societal racist and discriminatory position of the majority population in Romania towards Roma ethnics. We demand a public statement that clarifies the official position of the Romanian government towards the Roma minority in Romania, hence in the European Union.

In an effort to restore Romania’s image during an interview taken by Mrs. Zeinab Badawi, Mr. Ponta alienates Roma from the rest of the Romanian citizens, blames Roma for the negative perception of Romania abroad by labeling them as criminals and denies the discrimination of Roma by the majority population in Romania despite studies issued by public institutions such as the National Council for Combatting Discrimination that indicate otherwise . Mr. Ponta describes “benefit tourism” in UK and Germany as “a specific situation of the Roma community” and indirectly designates Roma community as a scape goat for the migration issues of Romanian citizens in western countries. Though expressing several times during the interview full commitment to respond to the needs of the Roma community in Romania, Mr. Ponta shows a poor understanding of the Roma, lacks proper documentation and enforces through ambiguities many of the prejudices of the majority population towards Roma. 

 laBOMBA la MODERN
 social fashion for Rahova-Uranus

Club MODERN, Mihai Eminescu Street No. 127

 

The Community Center for Creative Education and Active Art laBomba
proudly invites to
"The Evicted Women's Parade", a fashion show done by the women of the Rahova-Uranus community with the aim of raising funds for the education of their children.

Disability Gala

2012 Edition - "Access to Freedom!"- the entire broadcasting

ActiveWatch and Motivation Romania, with Vodafone Foundation Romania and Dedeman, held the third edition of People with Disabilities Awards "Freedom - Make It Accessible!" in Studio 3 of The Romanian Public Television, on Tuesday, November 27, 2012.

The event, produced in collaboration with TVR and moderate by Catalin Stefanescu, presented thewinners of the race to transform Romania into a society open to all members, with all the skills they have.

Personal Development Program Roma Professionals in the Medical Field launches today the fifth session of applications for the Tutoring and Scholarships component. The component targets Roma high school students and high school graduates who wish to apply next year for the admission exam in an medical education institution.

"I trusted this project from the begining and it turned out that I counted correctly. Here we already have several generations of young Roma professionals who can be an example to any young Romanian. As I have said on other occasions, this project will always have my support. "
Raed Arafat, for the launching conference of Roma Professionals in the Medical Field Programme, 2012-2013 Edition

Young Roma frequently encounter refusals based on prejudice when they participate to job interviews.
An efficient anti-discrimination campaign action is making majority people feel discriminated. To create such a situation, a false advertising job fair was staged. In the interviews, participants were assessed in terms of alleged defects which they could not control: place of origin, sign, height etc. 

What does it mean: to discriminate? What does it mean to put labels on people whom you do not know?
Three young Roma who are preparing for medicine, had worn the discrimination labels on their back and had walked for two days through the most crowded areas of Bucharest.

Roma children dreams are similar to any child dreams. They want to become pilots, police officers, actors, doctors, and the list goes on.

Let's believe in their real potential and no longer watch them with distrust.

Minister of Education Cătălin Baba announced his participation at the Peasant Museum, Horia Bernea Hall, for the "Our School" documentary and for the debate to be held after it. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 14, starting 6 p

16 March / 12:00 - 14:00 / SNSPA /6 Povernei Street Guests: Elyes Baccar (Rouge Parole) / Claudiu Craciun (SNSPA) / Mircea Toma (ActiveWatch) / Lazkin Mohammad (Association of the Syrian in Romania) After the screening of “Rouge Parole”, a film that gives a profound picture of the Tunisian revolution, we will debate the chances and dangers that threaten the Arab world’s transition to democracy

14.03 / 6 p.m. / Horia Bernea Hall, Peasants' Museum “Our school” follows three Roma children in a rural Transylvanian village who are among the first participants in an initiative to integrate the ethnically segregated Romanian schools

Competition for Romanian speaking journalists on Roma issues, discrimination and integration. The competitions encourages media materials which speak about discrimination, stereotypes, prejudices on Roma people in Romania

The anti discrimination campaign bluntly exposes the tragic effects of distrust in the Roma children development capacity.

ActiveWatch and Pro Democracy Association, in partnership with the National Anti Discrimination Council organized on December 8 the debate " Identity and Stereotypes. Roma Perception in the Media. The Debate was held within the project „Roma people between stereotypes and good practices

"Open Doors" section "Hope" Center for Resources and Educational Assistance  from Timișoara, for its efforts in creating accessibility in education. "Promoters of ability" section Radio Romania Timișoara, for  more than 15 years of programmes dedicated to raising awareness on people with disabilities and their successes

131 applications were made for the Competition "Education without Borders" of the Gala for People with Disabilities. Only 124 entered the competition, as some of the applications were not completed at the closing hour of the application period

We opened the voting system for the "Awesome People" Section of the "Education without Borders" Competition. Read the candidates' stories and vote your favorite on www.incluziune.org

ActiveWatch  organized on Wednesday, November 3, the exhibition "Be informed, find out what your rights are!", gathering paintings signed by 21 kids from Centers for institutionalized children or families at risk in Bucharest

ActiveWatch oraganized on Wednesday November 3 the event " Pinocchio grows up!" in Club Fabrica in Bucharest. The event was prepared and held by 35 children from the Pinicchio Center in Bucharest, Sector 1

You can still apply for the Competition of the Gala for People with Disabilities. The closing date will be seven days from now on. Further details on the cathegories, the application form and rules on www

Applications can be submitted online at www.incluziune.org using the available registration forms.   This year's registration forms include distinct fields for   applicable criteria, which helps document candidates' merits relevant to each and every criterion the jury will consider

We offer fellowship at tutoring for 200 Roma students who aim at career in the medical care system Roma students in the XII and XII grades of study who aim at career in the medical care system can apply for fellowship and tutoring in biology, chemistry and phisics

This year edition is dedicated to their school inclusion, a premise for mainstream labor market integration. Thus, the Gala will bring public recognition to individuals, organizations and institutions that support people with disabilities, in five areas: personal achievement in education, employment, school inclusion, accessibility and public policy support

Roma students in medicine and pharmacy universities and schools and resident physicians have 6 days left to apply to the scholarships within "A Generation of Roma Specialists in the Medical Field"project

ActiveWatch-Media Monitoring Agency and Motivation Foundation Romania are organizing the "Education without Barriers" - The Second Edition of Annual Gala for People with Disabilities on November 29, in Bucharest

Domnul Marius Vasileanu, jurnalist şi profesor de istoria religiilor, publică în data de 20 iunie 2011, pe portalul contributors.ro, un articol de opinie prin care trage de urechi ONG-urile rome pe motiv că, susţine domnia sa, nu îi împiedică pe membrii acestei minorităţi să ne facă de râs în Europa. Ca să ne demonstreze realităţile pe care le susţine, ne relatează o serie de experienţe personale şi întâmplări prin care a trecut de-a lungul călătoriilor sale prin Europa.

273 Roma students and resident physicians applied for the scholarships within "A generation of Roma specialists in the medical field"project between April and July 2011. Out of these applicants, the selection commission will select the first 80 students with best academic achievements

Asociația Agenția de Monitorizare a Presei, în perteneriat cu Fundația Roma Education Fund România, Asociația Medicilor Rezidenți, Centrul Romilor pentru Politici de Sănătate – SASTIPEN și Open Society Institute desfășoară proiectul O generație de specialiști romi în domeniul medical

ActiveWatch, together with Roma Education Fund Romania, The Association of Resident Physicians, Roma Health Center - SASTIPEN and Open Society Institute are launching the "A Generation of Roma Specialists in the Medical Field" project, which will be implemented between 2011 and 2014

Roma students in their 12th and 13th grades who wish to have a career in the medical field will be awarded a monthly scholarship of 200 lei and free private lessons of biology, chemistry and physics throughout the 2011 - 2012 academic year

Announcement: Young Roma may apply to "A generation of Roma specialists in the medical field" components Roma students may now apply in one of the two components of the Personal Development Program, within the project: "A Generation of Roma Specialists in the Medical Field": students in medical universities or schools and resident physicians may apply for Scholarship, mentorship and advocacy camps

ActiveWatch & Motivation Romania organized on November 16 2010 the 1st edition of the Gala for People with Disabilities, under the title: "Hire the ability!" The Event was held at the Romanian Public Television and gathered more than 200 people - persons with disabilities, non profit, public & business sector representatives and journalists

"Promoters of Ability" Section The prize went to Oana Dan for her campaign in Evenimentul Zilei. She published a series of materials in a campaign dedicated to success stories from a world unknown to the public: the people with disabilities world

The "Hire the Ability" Edition formed its jury with public figures involved in solving social problems and in promoting the rights of people with disabilities in Romania See their presentations and photos on the Gala website

Unii veti spune ca au loc, altii ca nu stiti cum sa le faceti loc, altii ca nu prea sunt oameni cu dizabilitati. Toti aveti dreptate. Au loc acasa la ei, departe de vazul si stima noastra. Nu s-au inventat inca niste modele standard care sa mearga pentru orice situatie si in orice societate si, oficial, sunt prea putini cu dizabilitati ca sa ne ingrijoram. Pentru ca statul spune in statistici ca numai 4% din populatie sunt oameni cu dizabilitati, desi media internationala si europeana este intre 10% si 12 %.

ActiveWatch – Agentia de Monitorizare a Presei si Fundatia Motivation Romania organizeaza prima editie a Galei Persoanelor cu Dizabilitati. O zi pe an vom oferi un spatiu public de intalnire intre persoanele cu dizabilitati, angajatori publici si privati, reprezentanti ai organizatiilor neguvernamentale si mass-media. O zi pe an in care noi, cu totii, sa ne unim fortele in a promova abilitatile persoanelor cu dizabilitati si in a le arata recunoastere celor care lucreaza pentru ca aceste persoane sa fie alaturi de noi in toate aspectele vietii sociale.