Better parenting for bigger success of Roma children
About This Project
The goal of this project
It aims to focus on improvement and strengthening of Roma children’s Macedonian language competences, as well as to boost their confidence which is much needed as a preparation for elementary school, all through informal educational and developmental stimulation. The approach we will use is based on the “Step by step” educational and pedagogic methodology which aims to achieve the following goals:
- Highlighting every child’s individual qualities
- Encouraging the overall development of children (cognitive, physical, social, emotional and aesthetic).
- Inclusion of family members in the educational process
- Continuous training and technical support for the conduct of educational activities focusing on children
Project Background
The children that we chose to work with come from a very vulnerable group of families. A large number of the parents that are involved in this project are illiterate, they spend their whole day outside looking for an alternative way of subsistence, or have multiple children, so they aren’t able to pay enough attention to all of their children and help them with their struggles at school. As a result of this, and of the lack of motivation that parents show for education, we are facing a decreased interest and understanding for the classes at school, at a time when the school curriculum is being altered to fit the Cambridge program which is much more complicated and advanced and will definitely make the educational process for Roma children even more difficult.
At the Educational Centre Nadez we make sure our children understand the subjects and lessons they learn on daily basis, and we do this every day for a few hours. During this time, we provide alternative education that is interesting for the children, comprehensive, and most importantly focused on smaller groups of children – something that can’t be established in the Elementary School that these children go to.
Project Summary
The project encompasses the following activities:
- Providing basic school necessities, such as school materials, clothes and lunches
- Educational program implemented through an alternative type of classes created specifically for the target group that we work with
- Regular visits to the families and monitoring children
- Meetings with parents and representatives of school authorities
- Creative activities and thematic classes, celebrating different holidays and internationally recognized days
- Workshops for parents and children
Donor
(March 2014 - August 2015) Foundation "Step by Step" | (September - December 2015) The Embassy of Switzerland in Macedonia
Target Group
40 Roma children from Shuto Orizari aged 4 and 5, coming from poor and socially endangered families, young parents, single-parent families, families who get social benefits and large families.
Duration
March 2014 – December 2015
