Rrogozhina municipality has a considerable number of Roma and Egyptian population. However, only Marino Hazizi seems to have completed high school. At the age of 19 Marino got married and discontinued further education. Nevertheless, Marino was eager to renew educational efforts, even non-formal, in order to encounter a decent employment opportunity.
Roma Versitas Albania is the organization, supporting Marino Hazizi in his endeavors to study and, at the same time, to contribute to the positive impact for Roma in Rrogozhina.
Map of Rrogozhina municipality – data on Roma and Egyptians
A handful of organizations have been working in Rrogozhina for the past ten years. Yet, data on social and economic status of the Roma and Egyptians, their housing conditions, employment, and access to public services, were not available.
Marino helped Roma Versitas gather unofficial data, disaggregated according to gender and age.
Initially, Roma Versitas Albania performed an assessment to assure that Marino Hazizi has potential and will to become a community mediator within Rrogozhina municipality.
Furthermore, Roma Versitas Albania decided to enter in negotiation with the municipality and put forward the idea of introducing a community mediator for Roma and Egyptians.
At the end of 2019, representatives of Roma Versitas Albania met Haxhi Memolla, the mayor of Rrogozhina, who accepted the proposal to involve a community mediator as an intern, and after concluding the internship period – to recruit him.
Meeting with Haxhi Memolla, mayor of Rrogozhina municipality
As a result, at the beginning of January 2020, a collaboration agreement with the authorities in Rrogozhina was signed.
Roma Versitas and Rrogozhina’s mayoral authorities have drafted a calendar of activities to back both the tasks and Marino Hazizi’s professional development as a community mediator. Among others, Marino was offered information sessions to understand the way local authorities function, as well as exchange experiences with other cities’ community mediators.
Exchange of experiences with Franko Veliu, Health Mediator
Roma Versitas Albania acts under the project “Increasing Performance and Employability of Roma Secondary School Students in Albania”, funded by REF and the European Commission.
The main objective of the intervention is to increase the academic performance and employability of Roma secondary school students through provision of scholarships, school-based mentorship and tutorship, soft skills/life/skills training courses and support during transition to tertiary education or accessing the labor market.
