The Roma Education Fund (REF) exhibited a selection of its photographs from April 7 to April 18, 2014 at the premises of Morgan Stanley’s regional headquarters in Budapest, Hungary.
The Roma Education Fund (REF) exhibited a selection of its photographs from April 7 to April 18, 2014 at the premises of Morgan Stanley’s regional headquarters in Budapest, Hungary. Invited by Morgan Stanley’s Roma Awareness Working Group to showcase and share its work, the Roma Education Fund exhibited 40 photographs from its ongoing international programs that provide educational services for disadvantaged Romani children under age six. Clients, employees and their families had a unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of REF’s investments in educational services in deprived Romani communities typically located far from capital cities like Budapest and that are not covered in mainstream media. REF and Morgan Stanley staff also had a chance to share experiences at a social event during the fortnight exhibition. Four photographs were subsequently chosen by Morgan Stanley’s for its offices and REF is proud of reaching this important milestone in its campaign to reach out to large corporations to show the importance of closing the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma.
Background
REF began to succinctly document its work with underprivileged Romani children in 2011 when it commissioned the Hungarian photographer Robert Miskovics to cover the lives of children, mothers, teachers and community mediators participating in A Good Start, an EU-funded pilot project addressing early childhood education and care in Hungary as well as in neighboring Romania and Slovakia as well as FYR Macedonia.
Originally operating in 16 localities, A Good Start has provided educational services to over 4,000 young vulnerable children under age six who would typically not have access to quality early childhood education and care in their communities. Young children who have a positive experience in preschool and later primary school are able to build a strong academic and developmental foundation that creates a sturdy platform and an opportunity for success in secondary school.
Investing in young children is a smart investment and science tells us that all children need to be healthy, safe, and mentally stimulated in order to meet developmental goals and to move through the education system successfully. But in 2013, expenditure on educational institutions were less than five percent of GDP in five countries in the region, including Czech Republic (4.7 percent), Hungary (4.6 percent) and Slovakia (4.6 percent). Today, in Hungary, a Roma child is twice as likely to drop out of school as the non-Roma peers. Nearly one-fifth of Roma youngsters over the age of 16 did not finish primary school, and another 53 percent only completed the eighth grade. The failure of students in secondary school is a direct consequence of the failure of adequate education at the primary level.
By making educational investments that set the stage for their future learning outcomes, the Roma Education Fund can show unequivocally that Romani children’s preschool attendance and achievements can be improved through tailored interventions that involve their parents and communities. Using a broad range of learning, literacy and numeracy tools – including its most successful component, Your Story, where mothers are coached in how to read to their children – the Roma Education Fund has since expanded A Good Start to more localities.
The Roma Education Fund is committed to engaging in programs that hold the highest potential to secure the financial and political commitments needed to support the education of Romani children and youth. It is our mission to improve the educational outcomes and achievements of all Romani children and youth who are experiencing developmental barriers and who are exposed to challenging socio-economic circumstances.
The Hungarian portion of A Good Start is implemented by the Roma Education Fund in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County in the settlements of Kistelekiszőlő, Huszár telep (Guszev) and Keleti Lakótelep in Nyíregyháza and in the villages of Hodász, Kántorjánosi, Nagydobos, Nyírparasznya, Szamoskér and Szamosszeg around Mátészalka.
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