REF’s implementing partner organizations under the Emergency Fund in Serbia have delivered 205 tablets with Internet access to Roma children to proceed with online studies in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Center for Education of Roma and Ethnic Communities, the Roma Association Beočin and the Open Society Fund (in cooperation with Opre Roma Serbia) were financed by REF to implement actions related to the urgent necessity for online classes and investing in IT equipment for Roma pupils, as well as online tutoring aid and provision of assistance to Roma parents regarding their children’s schooling.
So far, the Center for Education of Roma and Ethnic Communities have distributed 150 smart devices, supplied with free Internet to 50 pupils from the primary school “Ilija Birčanin” in Zemun, 50 pupils from the primary school “Predrag Devedžić” in Vranjska Banja and 50 pupils from primary school “Duško Radović” in Bujanovac.
August 5, 2020
August 5, 2020
Zemun-polje.jpg
August 4, 2020
Additionally, the Roma Association Beočin provided 55 Roma children in Beočin with tablets and Internet on 6th August.
The remaining 350 tablets with secured Internet will be distributed till the end of August 2020 in the following 11 locations in Serbia:
Vranje (Primary school „Dositej Obradović”) – 30 devices
Pavlovac (Primary school „Branislav Nušić“) – 30 devices
Bač (Primary school „Aleksa Šantić“) – 30 devices
Aleksinac (primary school „Vuk Karadžić“) – 30 devices
Surdulica (Primary school „Vuk Karadžić“) – 30 items
Vladičin Han (Primary school „Vuk Karadžić“) – 30 items
Bor (Primary school „Vuk Karadžić“) – 30 devices
Zaječar (Primary school „Đura Jakšić“) – 30 devices
Prokuplje (Primary school „Ratko Pavlović Ćićlo“) – 30 devices
Kruševac (Primary school „Dragomir Marković) – 30 devices
Kragujevac (Primary school “19. oktobar”) – 50 devices
Responding to the educational challenges facing Roma families due to the COVID-19 epidemic, REF, with the help of the Swiss Development Agency and the European Union, created an Emergency Fund to support Roma children in a number of countries, as Serbia is one of them. The activities related to the Emergency Response will be implemented by the end of 2020.
“During this crisis Roma students, due to the poor conditions in which they live, had a problem to adequately engage in distance learning, in other words – to continue with the education process. The Roma Education Foundation recognized that there is a need to implement direct funds in order to change the described situation. Upon project completion, the tablets and Internet cards will remain available to the children from the most vulnerable families, so that they can follow distance learning and remain in the education system”, said Ljuan Koko, President of the Center for Education of Roma and Ethnic Communities.
Parents are also involved in the Emergency Fund activities in Serbia next to their children. They are urged to contact the partner organizations for instructions on how to use the smart devices and access distance learning applications. Bearing in mind that the epidemiological situation caused extra stress, the Roma parents are eligible for psycho-social support, also provided by the implementing partners.
Other activities, related to the Emergency Fund, which the Center for Education of Roma and Ethnic Communities, the Roma Association Beocin and the Open Society Fund will participate in, are delivery of school material for 400 children, summer “catch-up classes”, support with the school enrollment (alternatively- electronic enrollment) and the mentioned psycho-social support for parents.
