Strengthening Roma Participation in Democratic Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Project Description

CARE has chosen to focus on Roma CBO’s, as they represent the most marginalized members of Bosnian society.  Social discrimination of Roma has a strong impact on individuals’ self-confidence, which manifests itself in lower levels of participation, representation, and leadership in community development and decision-making processes.  This social exclusion effectively blocks the target population from accessing basic information about their rights, and from obtaining available resources and services, perpetuating inequitable access to those resources and services (including social assistance and benefits from common property resources) that could alter their quality of life.

Institutional strengthening is a cornerstone of CARE’s work, especially in the Balkans.  Our approach to institutional strengthening is based on the understanding that strong, democratically elected local governments, CBO’s, and NGO’s are a vital component of sustainable, long-term development.  Our approach is for CARE, CBO’s, and local government structures to work in partnership and engage in mutual learning.  To ensure sustainability, we focus on the institutional, financial, and administrative capacity of organizations. 

Location

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Partner Organizations

-         Roma Association “Euro Rom”, Tuzla     

-         Roma Women Association “Bolja budućnost“, Tuzla

-         Roma Association “Nova romska nada”, Lukavac

-         Roma Association “Veseli brijeg”, Banja Luka

Donor

    The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, USA

Duration: