Reasonability and background of the program

The primary goal of the project was to help the Roma population of the micro-region of Encs reintegrate into the labour market, create and develop the conditions necessary for the permanent employment of the Roma minority, as well as to prevent and eliminate their ethnic discrimination. Basically, the program focused on three settlements (Korlát, Méra és Vizsoly), however, through the participants and workers of the program, it involved nearly 20 local settlements.

The Hungarian Foundation for Self-Reliance has been supporting agricultural and labour market programs in the said micro-region for years, which were successfully implemented by the local Roma organizations.. This has led to the development of a stable and fruitful cooperation between Autonómia and the partner organizations, and, on the other hand, to the establishment of exemplary grassroots, income-generating initiatives, which could further be developed in both organizational and economic terms. Most financing programs begin with a local survey of needs, which is less formal in the case of basic programs, while in the case of development programs it takes place with a formal questionnaire. By completing this questionnaire, the applying Roma organizations get a structured and thematic view of the local labour market, the most important community needs, the opportunities offered by the main employers, as well as the training and employment programs already available in the region. (To collect data we need the help of the local governments, employment centres and educational institutions). The organizations plan their own programs on the basis of the collected information. This is coupled with the professional assistance and regular monitoring provided by the Foundation. As a result of the above, the surveys have already been completed in the above-mentioned settlements in the planning stage of the program. The grant application summarizes these needs and opportunities.