Tarnaveni
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Târnăveni is a city in Mureş County in central Romania. It is the administrative centre for three other villages: Bobohalma, Botorca and Cuştelnic. Due to natural gas reserves discovered in the early 20th century, Târnăveni had a history of economic growth, however, the city suffered a strong decline after the fall of communism in 1989. Today the city is still active in the chemical and textile industries and in construction materials.
Târnăveni is known as the city with the largest Roma population in the county of Mures. According to 2011 census, 2,350 Roma live in Târnăveni. Unofficial estimates place the Roma population at nearly double the census figures, with the city hall services staff placing the population at roughly 5,150. Roma in Târnăveni live in seven communities: Randunelelor Street, Piaţa Obor, Cojocărie, Combinat, Şoroşpata, Livezii district and Colonia Dîmbău. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the community, place Roma in Târnăveni as among the poorest members of the county’s population.
Some of the most urgent issues they face are: a difficulty in accessing social rights; poor housing conditions; lack of IDs; and a high unemployment rate. As far as infrastructure is concerned, 90 % of the Roma in the municipality have access to electricity, only 10 % percent have access to natural gas, with access to drinking water only granted through public water systems. In terms of employment, nearly half of the working age Roma population is employed in either agriculture or as unskilled workers on construction sites. The remaining half of the Roma community is unemployed.
The ROMACT Process
ROMACT process started in Tarnaveni in November 2015 with the signature of the Letter of Agreement by the Mayor.
Shortly after, the Community Action Group (CAG) – made up of Roma citizens – was officially formed and they established their CAG community priorities by the end of November 2015.
| Short-term priorities of the CAG | Objective 1 | Objective 2 | Objective 3 | Objective 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Allocation of funds for the reparation of the road (approx. 1km), in front of the school; | Rehabilitation of the school court yard and giving it for use to “Bakner Foundation”; | Consolidating the sidewalk in front of the school no 3; | Reparation of streets, cleaning duct drains in order to avoid floods; |
| Education | Implement the “Second Chance” training programme for adults; | Identify root causes of conflicts between teachers and parents; | ||
| Housing | Disinfecting and rat exterminating services of houses; |
Long-term priorities of the CAG:
| Long-term priorities of the CAG | Objective 1 | Objective 2 | Objective 3 | Objective 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Connect all families in the community to their own water source; | Thermic rehabilitation for the School “Vasile Moldovan” | Repair the sewerage system in the school proximity | Build a playground for the children in the community; |
On 28 January 2016 a Joint Action Plan (JAP) was adopted through decision no 11/28.01.2016 of the local council of Târnăveni. The JAP includes a set of measures on education, employment, health, housing and infrastructure, the majority of the measures were responding directly to the needs identified by the CAG.
The CAG is directly involved in all steps of the implementation of the measures included in the JAP, and the CAG has accepted the responsibility of data collection and impact monitoring at the community level. In addition to these actions, the municipal staff have attended several training and coaching sessions organised by the ROMACT Programme, and they also have benefited from the support of the ROMACT Expert to apply for EU Funds. Below listed are a few actions already taken by the municipality in cooperation with the CAG in accordance with the JAP.
| Measures from JAP being implemented | Objective 1 | Objective 2 | Objective 3 | Objective 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | Disinfecting and rat extermination services for School No.3 - located in the Roma community “Combinat” | Reparation of the playgrounds of schools and kindergartens where Roma children learn | Rehabilitation of social housing located in Dezrobirii street, no. 4, occupied 99% by Roma (270 persons) | Financing sanitation and waste collection services for 400 families / households in Roma communities |
| Education | Official request made to the Ministry of Education to approve the completing studies program support in creating programs for parental education | |||
| Other | Financing the expenditure on water consumption from 9 drinking fountains for 1,500 Roma beneficiaries | Ensuring the necessary sums to obtain documents concerning the civil status of families and individual with no income (180 beneficiaries) |
UPDATE 29/06/2016 - At the moment the Local Authority is considering updating the Local Strategy according to the needs mentioned in the Local Action Plan (LAP). In line with this consideration, the ROMACT national support team (NPO, NFP, the facilitator and the ROMACT Expert) will offer support in updating the LAP. The updating of the local development strategy is mandatory prior to their upcoming application for European Union Structural Funds, which target the Operational Program Human Capital Development*, 4.1 – Integrated Local Development in marginalized communities.
The Municipality benefited of ROMACT expertise for the following projects :
The expertise provided by ROMACT for municipalities involves training and guidance on preparing project proposals and implementing inclusive policies aimed at improving the living conditions and social integration of vulnerable populations, including the Roma.
* Now for Future - social partnership for durable development in Tarnaveni - Funded by the European Economic Area Grants (EEA Grants), OPHC 4.1.
Budget: 3 121 066€
Status: approved
* Inclusive education, education for all in the Centre Region of Romania - Funded by the EEA Grants, OPHC 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.6.
Status: rejected
* "By educating the present we prepare the future", Enhancing Roma Inclusion and Empowerment - EEA Grants, FRDS.
Budget : 988 991€
Status: approved
Trainings provided by ROMACT experts :
Local Authorities :
* Writing a competitive proposal for ROP, PA 13.1 ;
- * Health related issues ;
- * Implementation of projects funded under HCOP ;
- * Expert for accessing structural&cohesion funds ;
- * Project management and project writing.