The presentation of the new program of MdM Greece “Rom-boost, Educational activities in Roma communities”, was held with great success and with the presence of many people, at Myrtillo, the Social Cooperative Enterprise with a Special Purpose (the Integration of vulnerable groups into the labour market), supporting by this way its actions.
After the welcome and the short greeting by Mr. Georgios Kassaras, member of the Board of MdM Greece, Mrs. Elli Xenou, Head of Programmes and Advocacy of MdM Greece, announced the start of the event.
Then followed short greetings / statements from Ms. Evangelia Zerva, Head of Department for the Social Integration of Roma at the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Poverty Alleviation, Ms. Maria Tsene, Assistant Programme Director of the Active citizens fund, Ms. Maria Fola, EEA Grants Advisor at the Embassy of Norway in Athens.
Then, Mr.Anastasios Yfantis, Operational Director of MdM Greece, after warmly thanking all those present, stressed that “the participation and cooperation of local government in the planning and implementation of targeted interventions is of crucial importance, in order to address the main obstacles and the reproduction of stereotypes which very often originate from the local government itself”.
“The next day should find us working closely together and promoting change to the local government”, noted Mr.Yfantis and concluded that “through this project, aiming to strengthen the positive and eliminate discrimination will make a small change, and will be a good practice for the future”.
Mrs. Elli Xenou continued with a thorough presentation of the programme. The aim of the Rom-boost project is to contribute to the social and economic empowerment of Roma by enhancing access to a coherent package of training and good practices.
The presentation of the new MdM’s Greece programme was attended by representatives of the programme, stakeholders and representatives of Roma communities.
MdM Greece has been focusing on the health and social inclusion of Roma populations since 1997. They have already implemented 9 related projects in areas of Attica, Thessaloniki and Central Greece, in more than 10 different camps in total.
Photo credits: Sotiris Giannikas
The project Rom-boost is being implemented under the Active citizens fund in Greece by Médecins Du Monde Greece. The Active citizens fund in Greece is supported through a € 15M grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as part of the EEA Grants 2014 – 2021. The programme aims to develop the sustainability and capacity of the civil society sector in Greece, and to strengthen its role in promoting and safeguarding democratic procedures, active citizenship and human rights. The Fund Operator for the Active citizens fund in Greece is Bodossaki Foundation in consortium with SolidarityNow. More information: www.activecitizensfund.gr/en/
