The Nevo Parudimos Association in partnership with the Social Cooperative Stranaidea, a consortium formed of: La Valdocco Cooperative, Liberitutti Cooperative, Zingari Oggi Italian Association, Associazione Terra del Fuoco, The Italian Red Cross, implemented the project “La Città Possible, actions in favour of the Roma population” financed by the Torino City Hall, with the support of the Intern Ministry in Italy.
The purpose of the project was to support Roma families who lived in illegal camps build in the city of Torino, in the area Lungo Stura Lazio, in a social integration process in Italy and in Romania, in the case of families who desired to come back to Romania.
The project was started in 2013 and continued until the year 2016 with the possibility to extend it.
The project activities implemented in Italy and Romania were:
In Italia:
- Initially a census was realized for Roma citizens who lived in illegal shacks placed in different areas of the city, main those from the area Lungo Stura Lazio;
- During the second phase, a set of criteria was realized, on the basis of which the families involved in the program were selected;
- The program was started, based on initial counselling for beneficiaries, and followed by taking decisions for the program, which would include:
- Language courses;
- Professional training courses;
- Support for the rental of a lodging with a rent supported or not in the project;
- The relocation in a subsidized lodging with the family and the inclusion in other programs;
- Professional counselling and orientation for the members of beneficiary families;
- Searching for employment opportunities for the members of beneficiary families;
- The possibility to relocate families in small farms with fields close to Torino, where they could start agriculture.
- One of the actions in which the Roma families from Lungo Stura Lazio were involved was to voluntarily repatriate and to receive assistance in Romania for social reinsertion when they get back home, for a period of maximum six months.
- The possibility of voluntary repatriation for families in Romania and the offering of support for the initiation of family business.
In Romania:
- Counselling and orientation to find a job;
- The offering of a possibility to follow qualification courses;
- Employment for a six months period in order to obtain the necessary experience to easy access a job;
- Support for social reinsertion for beneficiary families (in school, at the family doctor’s, the city hall etc.);
- Support in order to initiate a family business;
- Support from the local team in Romania for the initiatives of repatriated persons, which can lead to financial independence and the insurance of a decent living in Romania.
Important aspect to be mentioned in the project activities are:
A voluntary choice for the person benefiting from this type of intervention, who will benefit from:
- The possibility to support the integration process in Romania with an initial contribution of goods and services;
- Building in/with Romania a network of associations on different available territories, to project new interventions of social inclusion;
- Collaboration with the Romanian nucleus, the organisation responsible for assistance and the specific project of repatriation will keep in mind the capacities and expectations of beneficiaries and their support in the realization of this plan in Romania;
- Economic recognition of Romanian organisations in the co-projecting and in the monitoring of repatriation paths.
Work with beneficiaries in different stages:
- The observation stage when talks with the family members take place, information is obtained on their qualification, their situation in Romania, their past jobs, the children’s situation and that of the extended family;
- The identification of solutions stage and that of family integration in one beneficiary category: when the decision to follow a reinsertion process/program in Italy is taken or if the family will go back home;
- The contracting stage: the phase in which a contract is realized between the person representing the beneficiary family, the social worker, representative of the Torino City Hall (case responsible) and the social worker of the Nevo Parudimos Association, in case of voluntary repatriated families, where the rights and obligations of each party involved is expressed;
- The contract implementation stage which has a duration of 6 months from the moment of family repatriation, or 24 months in the case of families that decide to remain in Italy;
- The evaluation stage, during which the impact of the activities implemented, is evaluated.
Before repatriation, in the case of families who decide to return to Romany, a voluntary repatriation contract will be signed, which contains general and specific clauses, according to the specific of the intervention offered for each family:
- For example, for beneficiaries: not have any legal problems during this project;
- To collaborate with the local Romanian partner, the Nevo Parudimos Association for different activities necessary to reach the objectives of social reinsertion;
- To spend the allowance received for autonomy, 300 Euros per month, after being counselled by the project responsible for the family needs;
- To communicate any change in which the family situation may close the autonomy contract;
- The social worker hired b the Nevo Parudimos Association has the obligation to monitor the realization of all activities necessary for the reaching of the social reinsertion objectives;
- To handle the assisted person the amount of 300 Euros per month, transferred by the project coordinators, and in case of lack of hiring opportunities to handle the beneficiary the amount destined for the employment subvention as allowance for autonomy;
- To participate at an evaluation during the autonomy process (once every month), with all the project representatives, to evaluate and implement together with the repatriated person any changes needed in the autonomy contract, in case the new beneficiary’s family situation demands is;
- The Italian project coordinator obligations are: to transfer every month, with the help of the cooperative “Stranaidea”, the amount destine as allowance for autonomy, as established in economic agreements between partner associations;
- To offer the Romanian local Association, Nevo Parudimos, all information necessary for activities realized;
- To participate in periodical evaluations of beneficiary families;
- The Nevo Parudimos Association and the beneficiaries must announce any change appeared in the autonomy up front.
The Nevo Parudimos Association handles the support for social reinsertion of families from the west side of Romania, mainly of those from the Caras-Severin district.
At present, the association support the social reinsertion program for 18 families from different areas of the district.
So far, the repatriation process has been closed for 4 families.
This project showed favourable results, for example, some beneficiaries got hired by different companies/economic agents, other have renovated their homes with the money received from the monthly allowance, and a family even bought pigs and cows to develop a family farm, with the intent to access European funding in the future to develop it.
For more information on the project, the person to be contacted is Max Ferua, the general manager of this initiative, on the email: ferruam@lavaldocco.it or the Miss Bîtea Adelina project responsible from the Nevo Parudimos Association on the email: adelina251285@yahoo.com.
On the date of 22.01.2016, the Torino City Hall organized a conference with the purpose of realizing a short evaluation of the project “La citta possibile” together with all partner associations in Italy.
The Nevo Parudimos was represented at this meeting by Miss Bitea Raluca Adelina, project responsible for the project “La citta possibile”. She presented activities realized by the association and the results obtained and also made suggestions referring to improvements that could be taken into consideration in future similar projects
Partners
Disclaimer
This communication reflects the author’s opinions and the European Commission can’t be made responsible for the use of the information contained.
