Kotel
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Kotel Municipality is located in the eastern part of Bulgaria, in Sliven Province. It administrates a total of 22 town and villages.
According to the local expert on Roma issues, there are about 7 000 Roma living in Kotel Municipality. They are located in the main town, Kotel, but also in the villages of Gradets, Ticha, Padarevo and Mokren.
The ROMACT Process
ROMACT started in June 2020 with the signature of the Letter of agreement.
The Taskforce for Roma inclusion was created following Mayor's approval in October 2020.
In March 2021, the Municipality Inclusion Development Plan was adopted and included most of the community proposals.
As of March 2023, ROMACT process is reinforced in Kotel and a new agreement was signed by the Mayor.
ROMACT Small Grants Scheme
ROMACT offers small grants scheme to support the efforts of the municipalities and Community Action Groups to respond together to the needs of the most vulnerable and to multiply the good practices across ROMACT municipalities.
Under the scheme of small grants, the following projects were supported by ROMACT during October 2020 – January 2021:
Construction of playground area – Municipality of Kotel
ROMACT supported the municipality with 4868 € for the construction of playground area which created a pleasant and safe public gathering place for children in the Roma community. Trees, plants, and flowers were also planted in the landscape to create a green environment. Public discussion and workshop focusing on “environment and responsible citizenship” were also organized for children and their parents to raise awareness in the community.
Support to most vulnerable youth – Georgi Stoykov Rakovski Secondary School
ROMACT supported the school with 1991€, reaching 70 students from vulnerable families. The project provided sets of school supplies for each student and prepaid internet cards to ensure access to online education services during the pandemic. Information campaigns were organized to raise awareness about the importance of education and the risks of drug use among young people.