Empowering Vulnerable Local Communities – UN Joint Programme What is this programme about?
Roma and Egyptian communities are both the poorest and most marginalized ethnic groups in Albania. According to A Needs Asssesment Study on Roma and Egyptian Communities in Albania, initiated by UNDP, 77.7% of Roma and 84.1% of Egyptian families are very poor. These two groups experience poverty in the form of material deprivation. In addition they also experience high levels of social exclusion, because they are less likely to be able to meet their every day needs and participate in the processes that have direct bearing on their lives as individuals , such as employment, health and education.
Empowering Vulnerable Local communities is a multi sectorial response which seeks to improve the human security and access to the socio-economic and civic rights of vulnerable communities (Roma and Egyptians) in Albania. Four UN agencies UNDP, UNV, UNICEF and UNFPA have partnered to implement the programme which aims:
- To support participation of vulnerable communities in local decision making –through identification of priorities and preparation of Community Development Plans. Following the development priorities identified through Community Based Organizations, the programme works closely with local governments to complete a number of comunity infrastructure projects, such as roads, health centers, kindergartens, community centers etc.
- To help vulnerable communities access their rights, particularly access to public services –through civil registration, community policing, establishing and strengthening network of Roma mediators in areas of health education and child protection as well as supporting vocational training and employment
- To promote policies and institutional strengthening for social inclusion of vulnerable communities through – capacity building and assistance to local and central government institutions and build capacities of Roma and Egyptian NGOs.
What have we accomplished so far?
- A comprehensive analysis of the situation of Roma and Egyptian populations in the country is conducted providing an overview of the socio-economic situation of Roma and Egyptian communities in the country;
- Establishment of 15 Community Based Organizations, which partnered with local authorities to identify the development priorities for their community;
- 11 infrastructure rehabilitation projects have been completed and 6 others are ongoing;
- 12 Roma and Egyptian organizations have received on the job training and all of them have implemented small scale projects addressing concerning issues for their communities such as education, health, access to rights, increasing participation in decision making thus putting in practice the knowledge transferred to them;
- 1644 civil registration cases have been completed thus improving their accesses to services;
- 112 young members of Roma and Egyptian communities have increased their skills as electrical repair, welder, tailor, hairdresser, cook, computer, and solar panel repair.
- For the first time, 9 Roma and Egyptian young people are involved in internship courses in public institutions such as municipalities, employment offices, vocational training centers, line ministries and other institutions providing social and public services.
- Roma Technical Secretariat has a functioning internet-based reporting and monitoring system on the indicators of the Roma Decade Action Plan, made possible through programme support.149 local and central government officials have been equipped with relevant knowledge and skills to input the relevant informaiton in the system. The local and regional authorities have thus the possibility to regularly report on progress, enabling the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities to generate annual progress reports on the implementation of Roma Decade Action Plan.http://www.al.undp.org/content/albania/en/home/operations/projects/pove…
