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
Bosko’s journey to university in Belgrade
We got to know Bosko when he was 10. As a typical street-involved child in Belgrade, Serbia, he spent most of his time at intersections, begging or selling small items like paper tissues. Although he was formally enrolled in school, he attended it rarely. It took a year for the outreach team from CWS-supported drop-in shelters to motivate him to …
Teaming up for Remzija’s Education
Remzija is a first-grade student in Belgrade, Serbia. She and her family are part of Belgrade’s Roma community. Unfortunately, generations of poverty and discrimination have forced Roma families like hers to live on the margins of society. Remzija lives in devastating conditions in an informal settlement. She has struggled in school, too. Like many Roma children, Remzija doesn’t speak Serbian …
The Best Lens to View the World Through
I love scrolling through the pages of photos that tell the CWS story. There’s a kid-in-a-candy-shop moment when a photo request comes across my desk. When I do, I am immediately transported back to the trips I’ve taken. What’s the best part about those trips? The amazing–let me emphasize that, AMAZING–people I’ve met along the way. I’m never fully packed …