Economic Empowerment of the Roma and Other Vulnerable Groups

A large number of Roma in Romania live in poverty. In 2007 the absolute poverty rate among the Roma was five times higher than the value registered for the overall population. One of the biggest problems is the lack of income, which is linked to other major problems, particularly in areas such as housing, education and health. A person perceived as Ro-ma will have lower chances of getting formally employed or being considered a reliable entrepreneur.

The overall goal of the programme is to contribute to the economic empowerment of Roma and (indirectly) the com-munities they live in. Specific objectives:

• Generate economic activities and entrepreneurship within communities with a large number of Roma
  
• Stimulate an active participation of Roma in the formal economic life; generate increased social inclusion, mu-tual understanding between Roma and other ethnic groups/majority as well as building awareness at grass-root level
  

Target groups are Roma and other vulnerable groups in the region, in particular individuals, extended families of groups of people from Roma communities.

The PMU will be responsible for the overall management of the programme. It will launch one call for proposals and eval-uate the submitted projects. The PMU will be responsible for the monitoring of the projects and will establish a financial and operational monitoring system. The PMU will also be involved in facilitating the exchange of good practices and lessons learned among the Executing Agencies and with other relevant stakeholders. The projects identified will promote activities to improve the entrepreneurial capacity of target groups and beneficiaries.

Risultati principali attesi:  

• 2-3 small project grants successfully implemented by NGOs
  
• 2-3 large project grants successfully implemented by NGOs

Programme Management Unit (PMU) of the Roma Inclusion Fund

Fase 2 01.03.2012 - 30.11.2019   (Completed)