Government of the Republic of Serbia
The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany supported the vocational training for 100 young people from the Roma community, the training should enable them to find work, provide better social inclusion, and allow them to stay in Serbia, it was said at the presentation of the “Strengthening of Young Roma Families” programme on 23 February. The Programme is being implemented by the humanitarian organisation ADRA. The vocational training courses include training for cooks, beauticians, and auto mechanics; the expectation is that a quarter of the participants will receive employment. German Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Axel Dittmann, reminded everyone at the presentation that Serbia was considered a safe country of origin, and that Serbian citizens cannot receive asylum in Germany.
Igor Mitrović, the Executive Director of ADRA in Serbia, stated that the Programme aimed to make young Roma families economically strong and independent, especially young people ages between 16 and 20. The Programme will include members of the Roma community from Zemun Polje, Marija Bursać, Dr Ivan Ribar, and Kamendin settlements, with the intention of 50% of participants to be women.
Vesna Mraković-Jokanović, the Director of SOS Children’s Villages Serbia, said that the aim of the project was to enable young Roma parents to take care of their children through vocational training and quality of life improvement, in order to break the vicious circle that is transmitted from one generation to another. “The members of the Roma community find it difficult to keep their job because they are stigmatised, and when they are young, it is even harder”, she added.
According to Nenad Ćirić, the principal at the School for Adult Education “Branko Pešić”, the participants would during this three-month programme also learn how to write CVs and business plans.
Source: Beta, taken from www.euractiv.rs
Photo: Media centre Belgrade
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