Brief project information: The project TAKE CARE – Integrated social and heath services for vulnerable population in Western Balkans is funded by  the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection implemented by the project partners Caritas Austria, Macedonian Caritas, Civic association for assistance of homeless, socially marginalized families and individuals KINDNESS and Roma Democratic Development Association SONCE as part of the regional programme „Tackling the impact of COVID-19 crises“ – Western Balkan Countries (AL, BiH, MKD, SER)

Project duration:  1st July 2021 till 31st of December 2022 (18 months)

Overall project budget:  201.845 EUR

Project description: The targeted groups will receive integrated psychosocial services that otherwise they will have very limited access to – or no access at all. These services will be tailor-made to the particular needs of each individual and will include technical advice and escorting through the institutions for obtaining access to social transfers, assistance and support in opening bank accounts for receiving social transfers or other type of payments, paralegal assistance for realization of the social rights guaranteed by the state, basic medical check and assistance including provision of medications, prevention and assistance in resolving of housing issues including covering of the rent for a limited period of time. All these services should significantly improve socio-economic and the health situation of the targeted groups during the COVID-19 crisis.

Additionally, through the project life, the targeted beneficiaries will also receive educational support and trainings on essential life skills that will improve the prospects of the targeted groups to overcome intergenerational poverty. In particular, children (6-15) from poor and socially excluded families will receive educational support to attend online classes as well as to finalize their school year successfully.

Particular attention through the project activities will be payed to counselling service for the women and girls who might be facing increased domestic violence as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis, along with job loss due to increased burden for caring for the children during the closure of the kindergartens and the schools in the pandemic, as well as with the risks they traditionally face in the Roma communities like school dropout and early marriages.  All these educational activities, targeting children together with their parents, should contribute towards overcoming intergenerational poverty among the poor and in the traditionally marginalized and excluded social groups and minority communities.

Target groups: Vulnerable groups such as:

– Poor people and people at high risk of poverty and social exclusion

– Homeless people and people at high risk of becoming homeless

– Children and teenagers at risk to drop out from school

– Women and girls from vulnerable groups such as Roma

Activities:

Pilar 1: Intergrated legal, health and social services

1.1. Social services Program- Through mobile social and legal teams the project offers a set of social services directly to the homes of economically and socially disadvantaged families and individuals; providing them with support to access and claim their social rights.

1.2. Mobile Basic Medical Services Program- The project offers basic mobile medical services to the homes of the people living in poor and socially excluded communities, thus enabling them to access the public healthcare system.

1.3 Integrated Housing Services Program- this activity includes not only housing for the homeless but also preventive measures for people at risk of becoming homeless and monitoring of the beneficiaries to develop personal living habits and managing personal finances. Moreover, the development of a concept to assist people at risk of becoming homeless with debts/income managing/advice and an assisted bank account.

Pilar 2: Intergenerational Poverty Risk Reduction Program

2.1 Education Support Services- afterschool support for children in Shuto Orizari

(homework, educational workshops, learning basic competences, vocational orientation)

2.2 Life skills development program- dissemination of crucial life skills (health, hygiene, communication, etc.) to poor vulnerable socially excluded people with focus on thematic counseling services including topics of good parenting, hygiene, communication etc.

2.3 Coordination, awareness raising and dissemination- developed concepts and methodologies as well as lessons learned by the project will be available for the relevant national stakeholders.

Cross-cutting topic: In the delivery of the projects services, particular attention will be payed to women and girls. Integrated counseling will include the topics of life-long consequences of early marriages, the importance of good parenting, preventing and coping with the domestic violence, and the importance of education.

Relevant stakeholders:

–           Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairy, Helath, care and Consumer Protection

–           Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of North Macedonia

–           Local Self- Governments: City of Skopje and local municipalities on the territory of Skopje, Shuto Orizari, Tetovo, Jegunovce and Tearce

–           Centers for Social Work in Skopje and Tetovo

–           Primary schools in Shuto Orizari

–           Health institutions in the project regions

–           private companies (projected: Sparkasse Macedonia, EVN)

–           Other NGOs involved in the fields of the projects interventions

https://epale.ec.europa.eu/mk/blog/proekt-akseder-da-ne-bide-nikoj-izostaven-adrr-sonce

Roma Education Fund’s Emergency Response Fund for North Macedonia provided 222 tablets with free internet access to Roma students to manage remote learning amidst COVID 19 Crisis.

Roma Democratic Development Association SONCE was contracted to the amount of 20 306 EUR with the aim to improve the quality of schooling among the most vulnerable Roma children, also to invest in smart devices necessary for distance learning and further digital literacy and to ensure guidance to the Roma parents amidst COVID-19 pandemic.

The main objective of the project is to facilitate distance learning of most vulnerable primary school children through increasing the access to distance education, improving learning environment and providing support to parents to help their children to attend regularly online classes during COVID- 19 pandemic.

The project will build upon existing continious efforts of RDDA SONCE, partner NGOs and education mediators which are undertaken as interventions in primary education through investment in equipment necessary for distance learning and will serve as basis for further digital literacy.

Municipality Prilep, distributed 30 tablets with 10GB internet. To support online classes of Roma children.

The Director of Roma Education Fund REF Mr. Recepali Cupi, the Mayor of the Municipality Prilep, Ilija Jovanoski and representatives from the NGO RDDA – Sonce and partners for Municipality Prilep “Roma Perspective” today had distributed 30 tablets and 10 GB internet as a support of Roma children included in the primary school “Dobre Jovanoski” that during the pandemic COVID 19 didn’t had the possibility to attend online classes.

This action is part of the project ” Improving learning environment for primary school students” (CODE of the project 132) which is funded by the Urgent Fund of Roma Education Fund REF.

The same project will unable 222 Roma children to gain tablets and 10 GB internet in order to attend online classes.

The children are identified by the partner organisation in cooperation with the primary school.

They are given with a signed reverse by the parents of the students, and after the use, they are obliged to return them, so that they can stay to serve other students, who will need them.

Municipality Delcevo, distributed 15 tablets with 10GB internet. To support online classes of Roma children. The Country Fascilitator Mr. Senad Mustafov of REF and representatives from the NGO RDDA – Sonce and partners for Municipality Delcevo TERNİPE today had distributed 15 tablets and 10 GB internet as a support of Roma children included in the primary school “Vanco Prke” that during the pandemic COVID 19 didn’t had the possibility to attend online classes.

This action is part of the project ” Improving learning environment for primary school students” (CODE of the project 132) which is funded by the Urgent Fund of Roma Education Fund REF.

The same project will unable 222 Roma children to gain tablets and 10 GB internet in order to attend online classes.

The children are identified by the partner organisation in cooperation with the primary school.

They are given with a signed reverse by the parents of the students, and after the use, they are obliged to return them, so that they can stay to serve other students, who will need them.

Municipality Berovo, distributed 15 tablets with 10GB internet. To support online classes of Roma children.

The Director of Roma Education Fund REF Mr. Recepali Cupi, the Mayor of the Municipality Berovo Mr. Zvonko Pekevski, representatives from the NGO RDDA – Sonce and partners for Municipality Berovo Roma Resourse Center, today had distributed 15 tablets and 10 GB internet as a support of Roma children included in the primary school ,,Dedo Ilo Malesevski” , that during the pandemic COVID 19 didn’t had the possibility to attend online classes.

This action is part of the project ” Improving learning environment for primary school students” (CODE of the project 132) which is funded by the Urgent Fund of Roma Education Fund REF.

The same project will unable 222 Roma children to gain tablets and 10 GB internet in order to attend online classes.

The children are identified by the partner organisation in cooperation with the primary school.

Today we are here to provide assistance to Roma students from primary education, who due to the pandemic, did not have the opportunity to attend classes in the past period. Somewhere in March, when the pandemic was officially announced by the World Health Organization, the Roma Education Fund decided to establish an emergency fund, to put all available means in the function of successfully dealing with the pandemic, in the field of education. Specifically for Macedonia, a certain budget is open, which is directed at primary and secondary education. The purpose of this emergency fund is to help students make up for lost time in the teaching materials, in the period from March to June, while teaching took place online, to help parents enroll their children in higher education and to cope with the new reality, in terms of using technical devices and conducting online teaching. For that purpose, in Macedonia, 650 technical devices – tablets, with internet will be awarded, 15 of which in Berovo – said the Director of the Roma Education Fund – Mr. Redzep Ali Cupi.

Mayor Pekevski expressed public gratitude for the support to the Roma Education Fund, in the development of education, so that certain students can be ready to welcome the school year.

In addition to this support, the municipality of Berovo, within the Social Protection Program, at the beginning of the school year will award 2,000.00 denars to all first graders, enrolled in the municipality and all high school students from the first year of secondary education, who will continue in Berovo, said Mayor Zvonko Pekevski.

Tablets are awarded also in the following municipalities: Kumanovo, Kicevo, Kocani, Vinica, Bitola and Stip.

They are given with a signed reverse by the parents of the students, and after the use, they are obliged to return them, so that they can stay to serve other students, who will need them.

The Global Campus South East Europe – European Regional Master’s Programme in Democracy and Human Rights in South East Europe (GC SEE/ERMA), is a one year interdisciplinary Master’s programme coordinated by the University of Sarajevo (UNSA), Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS) and the University of Bologna (UNIBO), Department of Political and Social Sciences. GC SEE/ERMA is a proud member of the Global Campus of Human Rights (GC), an interdisciplinary center of excellence supported by the EU and other partner institutions, whose main aim is to continually promote human rights and democratization through education, specialized training, and research cooperation worldwide. It has a broad network of academic partners within seven regional headquarters in Pretoria, Beirut, Bangkok, Yerevan, Buenos Aires, Sarajevo/Bologna and Venice. GC SEE/ERMA is co-financed by the European Union through the GC and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Italy to BiH. The Programme awards students with 60 ECTS and a double-degree diploma of both founding universities (UNSA and UNIBO).

GC SEE/ERMA is an academic educational Programme intended for students who wish to combine studies with practical and field research experience in human rights and democratization issues. Recognizing that human rights are a crosscutting theme among different disciplines of study, such as political science, social sciences, law, sociology, and philosophy, ERMA fosters an interdisciplinary approach. Students have the benefit of studying in a highly international environment, attending lectures and workshops held by over 40 professors and experts from 11 partner universities:  University of Bologna, Italy; University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; University of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, University of Belgrade, Serbia; Karl Franzens University of  Graz, Austria; University of the Ruhr, Germany; University of Peloponnese, Greece; University of Zagreb, Croatia; New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria; University Ss. Cyril and Methodius, North Macedonia; and University of Pristina, Kosovo[1]. Students explore areas such as the philosophical foundations of human rights; principles of democracy; theories and issues of ethnicity, nationalism and religion; economic, social and cultural rights as well as the mechanisms for human rights protection and implementation.

All interested in studying human rights and democracy in South East Europe are hereby invited to apply for the 20th edition of the ERMA program.

DEADLINE        20 September 2020

36 STUDENTS

Up to 36 students will be selected in the last week of September 2020, from the following target groups:

• Target group I (25 places): Citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and citizens of Kosovo (who hold a passport of a country recognized by BiH).
• Target group II (5 places): Citizens of the European Union countries, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.
• Target group III (up to 6 places): students from other countries.

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REQUIREMENTS

I ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

The university degree of the applicants must be earned during studies lasting either 4 or 5 years (3+2) with a previously earned degree of a minimum of 240 ECTS. Candidates must hold a university degree in social sciences and humanities, from an accredited university.

II ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

Candidates have to provide evidence of their English language proficiency. The Master Programme recognizes the following international English Language certificates:

1. TOEFL – minimum 560 paper-based, 220 computer-based, 83 IBT;
2. IELTS – minimum band 6.5, no less than 6.0 in any of its subsections;
3. CAE and CPE Cambridge exams.

Applicants with 1. English as a native language, 2. a university diploma in English language and literature, and 3. those who had previous university education in English language are exempted from providing a separate proficiency certificate. Such candidates shall submit transcripts or certificates issued by their respective universities.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Students from TGI (25 students) and TGII (5 students) receive the following financial support during their studies:

1. Study grants covering regular living costs (November to July) in the amount of 4.500€ gross.
2. Costs of lodging and dining (full board) covered by the programme during the term in Italy
3. Reimbursements (travel, health insurance, diploma recognition etc.) in the overall amount of 1.200€.

Students of TG III are self-funded. These students are expected to cover all their living and travel expenses as well as the costs of Term III lodging in Italy (3150 Euros). The students are encouraged to secure funding through other sources.

Depending on the number and the quality of applications, the Programme reserves the right to offer several self-funding places to TG II candidates.

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TUITION

TG I:   No tuition fee. Enrollment costs 200€.

TG II:  2.000€.

TG III: 2.000€.

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APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

The application documents must be either originals or certified copies in the English language. When the original document is not in English language, a translation must be provided, attached to the original document, or its certified photocopy. The translation must be done by an official translation service (with stamp) or your university/college.  

1. Application Form (download, fill out and upload in the online application tool)
2. English language certificate  
3. University diploma (or a graduation certificate)
4. Academic records/transcript
5. Citizenship certificate
6. Birth certificate
7. Passport photocopy (page with personal data and expiry date only)

Note: Scans of certified copies must include pages with the certification stamp. Late and incomplete applications will not be considered.

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HOW TO APPLY?       

To apply for the ERMA programme, you have to fill in the required personal data and upload all of the above-listed documents to the ONLINE APPLICATION TOOL by 20 of September 2020. Each document must not exceed 10 MB.

To access the online application please click below:

APPLY HERE!

IMPORTANT:

1.Selected students will be required to submit all the required documents in hardcopy to the Programme at enrollment.

2.All diplomas issued by universities from countries other than Bosnia and Herzegovina need to be recognised by the University of Sarajevo. The students should start with the process at enrolment to the Programme.

3. Applying for a temporary residence permit within 90 days from entering Bosnia and Herzegovina is obligatory for all foreign students. For more information about the residence permit, please check www.sps.gov.ba

For further information browse other ERMA related pages on our website or contact info@erma-programme.eu

DOCUMENTS FOR DOWNLOAD

1. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2020-21

2. APPLICATION FORM 2020-21

3. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 2020-21

Avdive ano pervazija (ramke) e proekteske ,,Bajrovipe o lejbe than thaj participacija e sikhlenge Roma đi ano kvalitetnikano anglal buvlaripe ano sađjandipe thaj fundavno educiribe” ulavgepes  arka baš 136 čhavore-Roma save lena than  anglal sikhlojbaski sikhlovni  ani Komuna Šuto Orizari.

E hajbnaskere thaj užipnaskere, (paklukoskere, higienska) paketoja ulavenapes ano buthi kheripe e komunensar Šuto Orizari, Tetovo thaj Gostivar.

O proekti tano ikherdo tar ,,Bajrovipe  edukacijake šajdipa tar sikhle  Roma thaj terne Roma tar Purab Balkani sar thaj o Khoranipe”, aso implementacija e proekteske tavdela prekal o vastalipe tar Edukativnikano Fondi tar Budimpešta.

Во рамките на проектот „Зголемување на пристапот и партиципацијата на учениците Роми до квалитетен ран детски развој и основно образование“ денес се дели помош за 136 деца Роми вклучени во предучилишно образование и ран детски развој во општина Шуто Оризари. Обезбедени се прехрамбени и хигиенски пакети и школски прибор за 136 децата кои се таргетирани со проектот.

Покрај пакетите со храна, хигиена и школски прибор, во текот на наредната недела ќе се доделат и 170 таблети за учениците Роми вклучени во прво, второ и трето одделение а се дел од програмата за туторска поддршка во рамките на проектот во општините Шуто Оризари, Тетово и Гостивар.

Целата помош е поделена во координација и со поддршка од општините, основните училишта и градинките во таргетираните општини. Овој проект е дел од програмата ,,Зголемени образовни можности за ученици Роми и млади Роми во земјите од Западен Балкан и Турција” (RARE) кој е имплементиран од Ромскиот Едукативен Фонд од Будимпешта.

Dikhen o video.