ROMACT small grants scheme during COVID19 pandemic

During this period, ROMACT is adapting its small grants scheme to support the efforts of the municipalities and of the Community Action Groups to respond together to the needs of the most vulnerable and to multiply the good practices across ROMACT municipalities. As a result, 17 ROMACT municipalities in Romania and 29 municipalities in Bulgaria are receiving small grants (to which the local authorities contribute themselves with co-financing and in kind support, like provision of machines for streets / neighbourhood disinfection, water distribution, purchase and transportation of goods etc.) in order to

• conduct awareness campaigns on health (hygiene and spread of COVID19) and confinement / social distancing rules and regulations (posters, leaflets, prints of travel permit forms etc.);
• provide punctual information on channels of emergency support and adaptation of municipal services, including the maintenance of support hotlines for citizens;
• distribute protection masks and gloves to mediators, social workers etc.
• provide family packages of hygiene / sanitary products (soap, different cleaning materials, disinfectants etc.)
• provide basic food items to the most in need;  

 
The 46 small projects under ROMACT small grants are expected to reach around 30,000 people with supplies and more than 50,000 people with concrete information on how to cope better and stay safe during this time of unprecedented crisis. These small actions illustrate models of cooperation between authorities and the communities and are based on active citizens’ participation. Beyond the concrete actions however, our demarches put value on the importance of joint efforts to safeguard the welfare of the local communities, the protection of their human rights, in a solidarity that builds further up the relations at local level and improves the prospects of the Roma social inclusion overall.