Call for Applications: Roma Memorial University Scholarships

The Open Society Institute and the Roma Education Fund announces the seventh year of the “Roma Memorial University Scholarship” (RMUSP) Core Program that offers a merit-based open competition for Roma nationality students in Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, and Turkey.

Call for applications: RMUSP Law and Humanities Program

The Open Society Institute and the Roma Education Fund announces the fourth year of RMUSP Law and Humanities Program for eligible Roma students at the university level.

Reassessing the role of grant-giving in a foundation's strategy: The case of the Roma Education Fund

Alliance online, June 2007

The Board of Directors of the Roma Education Fund has met in Budapest to review progress in setting up the Fund’s Program Office, identifying the first projects that the Fund may finance, and to evaluate the 2005 work program presented by the Director.

REF staff began to coordinate its work with the National Coordinators of the International Steering Committee of the Decade of Roma Inclusion. After the most recent meeting of the Steering Committee in Prague, a number of countries were visited,

The Roma Education Fund has opened its operational office in Budapest, Hungary on September 1, 2005.

The REF Board met for the first time in its new Budapest office on September 9, 2005 to review the first cohort of its education projects, progress in establishing the organization, and the 2005 work program.  Four education projects were approved subject to satisfactory arrangements that need to be worked out with the project implementing organizations and some of the governments involved.  Once all pending details are settled, all REF projects will be listed on our website.

The REF Board met on October 18, 2005 to review the second cohort of proposed education projects. Seventeen projects were reviewed, of which ten were approved, four rejected and three deferred. A list of the approved projects (September and October) .

The REF Board met in Budapest on March 1 and 2, 2006. All the Board members were present. The Board session was chaired by Costel Bercus. The Board approved 12 projects committing an additional Euro 2,100,000.

On Wednesday, February 22, the launch of the Roma Education Fund took place at the University of Bucharest in presence of Marko Bela, Romania Vice Prime Minister and the major representatives of the Roma civil society organizations.

The consultation on REF Serbia country strategy took place in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 20th. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, and representatives of Roma NGOs, the League for the Decade of Roma Integration, the National Council of Roma National Minority, the Roma Secretariat and the Advisor to the Prime Minister on national minorities have participated in the discussion.

The REF carried out its first REF monitoring mission to review two projects under implementation in Serbia, assess the adequacy of its monitoring procedures, discuss with the Government and Roma civil society education reform and its impact on Roma Education. The REF team was in Serbia from April 16 to April 21, 2006.

“From Segregation to Integrated Schooling the way forward”  in Brussels on April 28.

 
The REF supported a major international conference on school desegregation titled “From Segregation to Integrated Schooling: the Way Forward” co-organized by the European Network Against Racism(ENAR) and the European Roma Information Office (ERIO).

Meeting of REF Board, June 22, 2006

REF Board met in Budapest on June 22 to review project proposals. It reviewed 36 Projects for a total amount of Euro 4.432.067. The Board approved 18 projects for a total amount of Euro 1.695.862.

REF supports  round table on preschool education in Serbia

The serious concern aired in an REF policy note about the potential risk of the Roma children not being enrolled in the new compulsory preschool education in Serbia   has motivated Roma NGOs to gather in order to discuss how to prevent this risk. As a result a round table on “Enrolment of Roma Children in pre-school programs, primary and secondary school” has been held in Belgrade, Serbia, on June 9th 2006.

On October 16, 2006 REF Board reviewed electronically 19 project proposals for a total amount of 2 667 447 Euro. The Board approved 5 projects for a total amount of 289 540 Euro.  The Board approved one international project, one from Macedonia, one from Romania and two from Slovakia, on a variety of topics: Access to university education, information campaign on the importance of Roma education, support for pre-school education and programs to avoid Roma children to be sent to special schools and special classes. All projects reviewed had be sent to REF before August 2006. The next Board meeting will be on 21 of November 2006, in Budapest.

REF and Putumayo World Music establish a partnership

REF and the famous music production company Putumayo World Music have just signed a partnership agreement. A portion of Putumayo’s proceeds from the sale of the new Gypsy Groove CD, that has been released in March, 2007, will be donated to the Roma Education Fund. The grant will be used to support Roma NGO projects and scholarships. 
Visit Putumayo's website to listen to sample tracks or to buy the album.

Conference on Education Reform and Roma Inclusion
Budapest, April 2-3, 2007

The Roma Education Fund has the pleasure to inform you about the international Conference on Education Reform to Support Roma Inclusion to be held in Budapest on April 2-3, 2007. The Conference is organized in collaboration with the Hungarian Government in the framework of the Decade for Roma Inclusion.

90 million for the care of Roma children

The Ministry of Social and Labour Affairs (SZMM) jointly with the Roma Education Fund have initiated a program for increasing the educational success of children living in Roma settlements. The REF is supporting settlements participating in the social and residential integrated model program of the SZMM the program was announced in 2005.

Supportive program for talented young Roma by the IBM

With the help of the IBM the Hungarian Business Leaders Forum has launched a talent supportive program “ROMASTER”, that assures applicants to be receiving financial support, mentorship program, and professional training. The program is open for talented high school students who avow themselves Roma, and are prepared to continue their studies in higher education institutions in the fields of law, technology/ engineering, economics or business studies after high school.

Call for participation

The Word Bank in collaboration with the Government of Italy will organize a youth conference in Rome, from May 21-25, 2007 on “Young people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: From policy to action“.   The conference plans to bring together policy makers and young people from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA) to discuss topics related to implementation of policies for young people in particular the participants will discuss the significance of high youth unemployment in specific ECA countries and how best to integrate or reintegrate disadvantaged youth into the labor market.  The conference will also cover ways to promote active youth citizenship.

Trained experts in „Equal Opportunity Policies”

Thirty five young adults, predominantly Roma, received their diploma of „Equal Opportunity Policies” in Budapest, Hungary on 09/03/2007. The Roma Civil Rights Foundation(RPA) together with the ELTE University Legal Clinic and the Street Law Foundation have pursued a 200 million HUF worth training program founded by the European Union.

Call for Application: „Chance for Education” subprogram of Chance for Education Public Foundation for 2007/2008 school years

The Advisory Board of Chance for Education Public Foundation aims to support students in the final semester of high school studies, with the purpose of providing support for those who live under adverse financial conditions and who would not be able to continue their studies without the support provided.