Roma Roma EducationEducation FundFund

REF’s mission is to close the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma, through the design and implementation of policies and programs that support quality education for Roma including the desegregation of the school system.

Our Mission and Fields of WorkOur Mission and Fields of Work

Expanding access to

quality early childhood education and care

Improving primary

education outcomes for

Romani children

between ages six and

fourteen

Expanding access to and

ensuring completion of

and graduation

from secondary education

Expanding access to, improve

graduation levels and strengthen identity of

Romani students in

tertiary education

Second-chance

programs for adult

education and training

1

2

3

4

5

Our key priorities cover all levels of education

In a tightly orchestrated campaign the support of Roma Education Fund enabled the daily bussing of children from 38 Romani families to schools in downtown Tirana from where they had been rehoused some 11 kilometers outside the city, evicted in the summer of 2013 and living on the streets for several months. At the new site, they received assistance from the city of Tirana which provided rudimentary public services including a vaccination program for young children. REF’s partners provided hot meals and educational support for 89 Romani children from the youngest of age till age 15, as well as 56 mothers who received parenting and counseling support.

A volunteer assists a young Romani girl with her homework after school at the House of Colors in Tirana, Albania. Photo: Elvin Shytaj

We developed overarching tools to We developed overarching tools to reach our objectives reach our objectives

Grants Scholarship Revolving LoansAdvocacy, Research and Policy Dialogue

Project Implementation

Provided to consortium of civil society and public institutions implementing education reform projects

Implementation of large scale ESF, IPA, Norway and EEA projects

Provided to bridge funding for efficient implementation of EU funds for projects that cover all the levels of public education

Financial support provided to Romani students

Engage in issues affecting the education of Roma such as the prevalence of Roma in special education, segregation and desegregation and education financing

REF acts in close partnership with educational institutions, municipalities, Roma NGOs, and national and international

organizations/institutions

Croatia’s Medimurje County is the site of an ongoing REF project to enroll young Romani children in preschools and subsequently desegregate kindergartens through a long-term intervention in early childhood education and care and primary school services.

Operating in four localities, in a mixture of sites that incorporate community centers, preschool facilities and kindergartens, in partnership with the local authorities, REF adopted a different approach at each site, whether a community center hosting early childhood education and care, a standalone kindergarten with several shifts of children a day or a primary school in a town center.

Young pupils in a village kindergarten in Medjimurje County, Croatia. Photo: Tom Bass

We work in 16 countriesWe work in 16 countries

Grants & ScholarshipScholarshipFoundationsBranches

REF SwitzerlandZug (2006)

REF HungaryBudapest (2006)

REF RomaniaBucharest (2009)

REF SlovakiaPresov (2014)

Serbian BranchBelgrade(2013)

Montenegro BranchPodgorica (2013)

AlbaniaBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCzech RepublicHungaryKosovoMacedoniaMoldovaMontenegroRomaniaRussiaSerbiaSlovakiaTurkeyUkraine

With support from REF and the financial contribution of the municipal government of Ostrava, a systematic preschool education and early elementary school registration project has been established in order to prevent Romani pupils from enrolling in so-called “practical” schools that typically offer a sub-standard educational curriculum.

“Looking at the children, it is obvious that they have made great progress in the Mothers’ Clubs, and I dare to say, that if the cooperation between the parents, NGOs and preschools, or later schools will continue, and the project may not only disclose new opportunities for Romani children but can also build a bridge over the persisting barriers between the Roma and the majority,” said one preschool teacher in Ostrava-Poruba.

Children playing at a Mothers’ Club in Ostrava, Czech RepublicPhoto: Jana Baudysova

We reach out to over We reach out to over 100,000 beneficiaries 100,000 beneficiaries per yearper year

Beneficiaries

Direct spending on our beneficiaries

103,117 103,117 beneficiaries beneficiaries in in 1616 countries countries

56 56 projects in 2014projects in 2014

451451 from 2005from 2005

11.1 11.1 million EURmillion EUR

Project Portfolio

1,453 1,453 studentsstudents

22 million EURmillion EUR

University Scholarships

2013 in numbers

REF pursues its activities through four entities established as legally separate foundations in Switzerland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia and two branch offices of REF Hungary in Serbia and Montenegro.

The REF entities work together to ensure an effective delivery of the activities in a transparent and accountable manner. Each Foundation has its separate board with independent members for their decisions.

The three entities are coordinated by REF’s headquarters in Budapest, which has a multinational staff, of whom 63.15% are Roma from Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. REF has country facilitators in eight countries, who are in the majority young Roma.

REF has aspired to address the near complete absence of Romani health professionals from Romani communities by supporting scholarships for doctors, nurses and technicians in the health sector in Romania. Partnering together with the Media Monitoring Agency, the Sastipen Association, Association of Resident Doctors in Romania and Open Society Foundations – Budapest, the Roma Education Fund implemented a European Structural Fund project to address problem.

Medical professionals supported by REF in Romania.

The project incorporated tertiary scholarship, mentorship and tutorship support, as well as combating the stereotypes related to the access of Roma students to highly-qualified professions.