PEDS Team Supports Refugee Roma Children
During my visit to Bosnia I was privileged, if that is the right word, to be taken round various areas and projects by the World Vision Bosnia (World Vision BiH) relief and development organization. One of my first stops was to a burnt out block of flats. They seemed strange because the three of them stood opposite a row of newly developed or newly decorated properties. What I don’t understand is that sooner or later these blocks must surely be knocked down and when they do the dust and dirt caused will mar the clean colours from these other properties. What else is interesting about theses blocks that have plaster falling off the walls, blackened by soot from the fires that gutted them, is that people still live in them. In the one block there are about 20 families. There is no glass in any of the windows yet washing is strung across at least one window. It must be a miracle of persistence to get anything clean in there. Outside were old washing machines and various items that to me, from the modern west, appear like junk.
Playing outside were three children. Certainly no older than 10 years of age. Their hair was a tousled mess, dirty faces and clothes. They are one of the things in Bosnia that need to be looked at by organizations such as World Vision BiH. But there is so much to be done with limited resources that help hasn’t got to them just yet.
However, help has got to many refugees that have flooded into Bosnia from Kosovo and Yugoslavia. In addition to the enormous problems left after the Bosnian conflict, refugees came flooding in from Yugoslavia and Kosovo as fighting escalated in those countries. These refugees were placed in various camps. Some of these camps have now closed down. One of my companions from World Vision BiH is a refugee himself and has been a great help in explaining and interpreting events and facts for me. His story is one of the happier ones in that he is working and getting on in life. There are, however, many still in camps. These people are mostly gypsies or “Roma”.
Today there are few opportunities for them as “racist” like persecution still exists. Job adverts often carry a “Gypsy’s Need Not Apply” heading The gypsy migration started in the 10th and 11th centuries from northern India. They eventually settled in what is now known as Romania at the end of the 14th century. They were immediately subjected to persecution and enslavement until they were freed in 1856. Freed, yes, but persecution still continued. During the Second World War 90,000 were deported to camps in the Ukraine where over a third died due to exposure, malnutrition and disease. They were further persecuted during Ceausescu’s communist regime during which time he even denied their existence. Today there are few opportunities for them as “racist” like persecution still exists. Job adverts often carry a “Gypsy’s Need Not Apply” heading. As a result they have developed a mistrust of authority which hinders any offers of help.
(David Dane Parker www.ozemail.com.au)
The World Vision’s PEDS team (Psychological and Educational Development and Support) visit two camps where many “Roma” are based several times each week. Their purpose is to provide educational help and support to the children. Until they went there many of the children had never learnt to read. The benefit and value of these sessions is enormous. They help the children to develop the necessary skills needed for them to go to schools outside the camp. They also give them some stability. World Vision BiH isn’t the only organization involved. Save the Children (SCF) and UNICEF are there too. They built the temporary huts in which they live and learn and work with the toddlers and babies.
At the first camp (Racovica) I went to there were 3 – 400 people of which 45 were children aged between 7 and 16.The families live in huts which have 13 rooms which can accommodate a family of 5. There is a communal cooking area at one end and a communal bathing/toilet area at the other. The second camp at Breza, with a view people in the west would pay big bucks to see every day, has a larger community of 6 – 700 people. The problems remain the same. Here there is another organization involved. UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) are doing work with adult population covering such topics as conflict resolution. I asked them how well people were taking to the idea of resolving differences between the communities but was told that they were only dealing with small matters and the philosophy of conflict resolution.
There are many victims in a war but there are also different types of victims. It has been said that truth is a victim, but from what I’ve seen innocence should also be put high on the list But what I saw gave me the feeling that tomorrow is looking reasonably bright. The looks of joy on the faces of the children as we arrived had to be seen to be believed.
Despite all the degradation that they have seen and experienced the Roma culture still insists on the girls developing within the typical role of the female in their community. In progressive Europe this would be seen as sexist but for them it is something which might be a vital factor in their survival. It is, therefore, perhaps ironic that the prime aim of most, if not all of these refugees, is to go and live in the USA or the UK.
Playing outside were three children. Certainly no older than 10 years of age. Their hair was a tousled mess, dirty faces and clothes. They are one of the things in Bosnia that need to be looked at by organizations such as World Vision BiH. But there is so much to be done with limited resources that help hasn’t got to them just yet.
However, help has got to many refugees that have flooded into Bosnia from Kosovo and Yugoslavia. In addition to the enormous problems left after the Bosnian conflict, refugees came flooding in from Yugoslavia and Kosovo as fighting escalated in those countries. These refugees were placed in various camps. Some of these camps have now closed down. One of my companions from World Vision BiH is a refugee himself and has been a great help in explaining and interpreting events and facts for me. His story is one of the happier ones in that he is working and getting on in life. There are, however, many still in camps. These people are mostly gypsies or “Roma”.
Today there are few opportunities for them as “racist” like persecution still exists. Job adverts often carry a “Gypsy’s Need Not Apply” heading The gypsy migration started in the 10th and 11th centuries from northern India. They eventually settled in what is now known as Romania at the end of the 14th century. They were immediately subjected to persecution and enslavement until they were freed in 1856. Freed, yes, but persecution still continued. During the Second World War 90,000 were deported to camps in the Ukraine where over a third died due to exposure, malnutrition and disease. They were further persecuted during Ceausescu’s communist regime during which time he even denied their existence. Today there are few opportunities for them as “racist” like persecution still exists. Job adverts often carry a “Gypsy’s Need Not Apply” heading. As a result they have developed a mistrust of authority which hinders any offers of help.
(David Dane Parker www.ozemail.com.au)
The World Vision’s PEDS team (Psychological and Educational Development and Support) visit two camps where many “Roma” are based several times each week. Their purpose is to provide educational help and support to the children. Until they went there many of the children had never learnt to read. The benefit and value of these sessions is enormous. They help the children to develop the necessary skills needed for them to go to schools outside the camp. They also give them some stability. World Vision BiH isn’t the only organization involved. Save the Children (SCF) and UNICEF are there too. They built the temporary huts in which they live and learn and work with the toddlers and babies.
At the first camp (Racovica) I went to there were 3 – 400 people of which 45 were children aged between 7 and 16.The families live in huts which have 13 rooms which can accommodate a family of 5. There is a communal cooking area at one end and a communal bathing/toilet area at the other. The second camp at Breza, with a view people in the west would pay big bucks to see every day, has a larger community of 6 – 700 people. The problems remain the same. Here there is another organization involved. UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) are doing work with adult population covering such topics as conflict resolution. I asked them how well people were taking to the idea of resolving differences between the communities but was told that they were only dealing with small matters and the philosophy of conflict resolution.
There are many victims in a war but there are also different types of victims. It has been said that truth is a victim, but from what I’ve seen innocence should also be put high on the list But what I saw gave me the feeling that tomorrow is looking reasonably bright. The looks of joy on the faces of the children as we arrived had to be seen to be believed.
Despite all the degradation that they have seen and experienced the Roma culture still insists on the girls developing within the typical role of the female in their community. In progressive Europe this would be seen as sexist but for them it is something which might be a vital factor in their survival. It is, therefore, perhaps ironic that the prime aim of most, if not all of these refugees, is to go and live in the USA or the UK.
Share