Annual report 2000

PROJECTS FINANCED BY THE
HUNGARIAN FOUNDATION FOR SELF-RELIANCE
IN 2000
Civil society
Gardening 2000 Refugee small enterprise program
Roma agricultural development program
Roma labour market training
Poverty – ethnicity
Greenworks


The foundation’s operations

The ten-year anniversary of the Hungarian Foundation for Self-Reliance inspired us to review and evaluate the activities we have carried out so far. Our evaluation includes an analysis of the effects of our programs based on statistics and case studies. The latter will soon be published in book form. In the case studies, we gave an account of the positive results and failures of our former projects and tried to reveal the factors that contributed to these outcomes.

During the ten years of our operations the world around us has changed to a considerable extent. With regard to the results of the evaluation and the economic and political changes that have taken place in our country (an increasing number of grant-giving organizations have appeared; Roma public life has become more structured; Roma politics have altered; thus the objectives and operation of supported organizations have fundamentally changed, etc.), we have developed our new financing strategies according to the following aspects:

As opposed to earlier practices, in the future Autonómia will provide grants to non-governmental organizations in the framework of inter-related programs with the aim of assisting the independent farming activity of Roma people.

The aim of the financing scheme is that the supported organizations implement their business activity (project) in an economically rational way and with several years of professional development, thus ensuring sustainability on the long term. We distinguish between three inter-related financing levels in our programs. On these three levels we offer an opportunity for the participating Roma families and individuals to start and/or develop their business activity and increase their professional knowledge, resulting in a higher income.

Our new programs lay special emphasis on enabling organizations, which have never taken part in similar financing schemes, to learn the skills necessary for the implementation of their project in the framework of training courses.

In our view, it is possible to help the supported organizations establish and increase their economic competence through long-term collaboration, in-depth professional training and continuous monitoring.

We have planned and organized our latest grant-giving programs in consideration of these new aspects.

The aim of the financing scheme is that the supported organizations implement their business activity (project) in an economically rational way and with several years of professional development, thus ensuring sustainability on the long term. We distinguish between three inter-related financing levels in our programs. On these three levels we offer an opportunity for the participating Roma families and individuals to start and/or develop their business activity and increase their professional knowledge, resulting in a higher income.
Our new programs lay special emphasis on enabling organizations, which have never taken part in similar financing schemes, to learn the skills necessary for the implementation of their project in the framework of training courses.
In our view, it is possible to help the supported organizations establish and increase their economic competence through long-term collaboration, in-depth professional training and continuous monitoring.
We have planned and organized our latest grant-giving programs in consideration of these new aspects.