Roma’s Community Sheltering

While waiting, these families are living inside a ruined building, lacking of food, drinking water and with street begging as the only means of survival.

“I am begging on the street where we get money only to buy bread.” says one of them. “We haven’t had any help from the state. All I have got is a loaf of bread and an egg” added another.

“This area is currently empty, previously known as “The Limber Field”, and maybe we can achieve something after negotiating with the owner” says Blerina Zoto, Chief of Roma Community Secretariat under the Ministry of Labour.

The Ministry of Labour will decide in which buildings of state property these Roma families will be sheltered.

Rumors say that the areas expected to be chosen are Vaqar, Sauk and Peza, but no final decision has been made about the location or the building that will shelter these 45 families.

10.4 million euros have already been spent on two projects.

Even though the streets of many cities are being filled with more and more Roma children who beg and fall victims of different abuses, millions of euros have been spent on their behalf during the last 20 years.

Chief of Roma Community Secretariat under the Ministry of Labour, Blerina Zoto, explains that Roma reintegration has been prevented because of different associations superposing each other and because their work has been interrupted after brief periods of time.

“These efforts were divided between different associations and this has caused superposing or has prevented our intervention. Since these projects are short termed, these associations collect children inside their facilities and when the funds are over, these children risk to turn back on the streets.” Zoto declared.

For the three years period of 2009-2012, 5 million euros have been given as funds to help the Roma community in infrastructure and education.”

“We have two big projects, the Swiss Cooperation and UNDP Program. These are three-year projects and their help will be located in Tirana, Elbasan, Korça and Fier.”  Zoto told to the press.

This project is focused on the “26 Nëntori” school, where there are two alternate classes of these children. However, these kids remain on the road again.

“Being late at school and absences are the most of the difficulties. Parents send them to do works like collecting cans in rubbish bins. There are kids who are absent at school for several months” one of the teachers said.

The Swiss Cooperation office has given a 5.4 million euro fund, started on 2000 and expected to finish on 2012. This fund is addressed only to the education and training of the Roma community. From this project only, official data say, the children that have benefited are 895 in total.

Top Channel