Supporting Roma Families
The Roma are one of the most marginalized groups of people in Serbia and across Europe. Roma children are often born into a cycle of poverty and inequality that can follow them for their whole lives. It’s hard for their families to access services like medical care and education. Legal and systemic obstacles – and the weight of prejudice and stereotype – stand in their way.
Alongside partners in Belgrade, we’re working to give Roma children more opportunities. Children visiting a drop-in shelter can eat a meal, take a shower, change their clothes and have a safe place to relax, play and study. Staff also help parents enroll their children in school and access medical care and other services.
Meanwhile, we're helping Roma women finish school and join the workforce. When a woman learns to read, she accesses a whole new world of possibilities. And when she can start a business, it means valuable income for her family.
With your support, Roma families are breaking the cycle of poverty for good.
Hana’s Story
“I’m living in a settlement without electricity or running water.” Roma children like Hana face a steep, uphill climb out of the poverty that has often claimed their families for generations. With your help, Hana and her friends have a safe place to get the support they need to thrive.
Latest Updates
A Family of Friends for a Young Transgender Man in Serbia
Early in his life, Marko* realized that his assigned female gender wasn’t who he really was. As a pre-teen and teenager, he began to find more traditionally masculine ways to express his gender identity. He named himself Marko, started training in mixed martial arts and got plenty of tattoos. He also spent time in therapy, which led him to formally …
Serving Up A Brighter Future in Belgrade
D* lives with her four siblings and their grandmother in one of Belgrade’s informal settlements. She had a turbulent childhood that was characterized by constant moving and instability. Six years ago, D’s parents separated. Her mother took all five children from Serbia to Germany. They lived in poor conditions and didn’t go to school, so German social services got involved. …
A mental health victory in Belgrade
Jovana and her sisters used to wash car windows in a few intersections in Belgrade, Serbia. Like all children who work on the street, they faced a lot of risks. At home, they were still up against the extra expectation placed on them for being girls: caring for younger siblings and housework. Jovana comes from a Roma family; families like …