Marasesti
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Last update: 12/09/2018
Mărăşeşti city is located on the right bank of Siret river, at 20 km north from Focşani (Vrancea county city residence), 27 km south of Adjud, 18 km west of Tecuci (Galati county) and 18 km east of Panciu. The current population numbers 10.671 inhabitants, around 4.500 belonging to Roma minority. However, only 750 recognized their ethnicity, most citizens preferring to declare themselves Romanian nationals for fear of being discriminated.
The ROMACT Process
In November 2016 Mărăşeşti municipality joined the ROMACT program.
The Community Action Group (CAG) was created shortly after, identifying its short/medium/long-term needs:
| Short and mid-term priorities | Objective 1 | Objective 2 | Objective 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Implement school-after-school programs, in order to reduce absenteeism and school dropout. | Develop Second Chance programs, supporting children / young people / adults in their reintegration into the education system. | Setting-up another school mediator position. |
| Employment | Vocational counseling and labor market orientation. | Providing training for job opportunities. | Support social economy initiatives. |
| Health | Covering the needs of doctors in the two centers open in the heart of Roma community. | Organizing regular healthcare campaigns - vaccination, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases etc. | Setting-up another health mediator position as well as 2 community health assistant positions. |
| Youth | Organize fairs and other events (sports, cultural, recreative). | Setting up a multi-functional sports center | Setting up the school of arts and crafts and the music club. |
| Long-term priorities | Objective 1 | Objective 2 | Objective 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Repairing/asphalting the streets. | Expansion of the electricity and water/sewage network. | Compliant waste storage in order to solve the trash problem. |
| Housing | Providing land plots for new houses for the Roma community. | Build social housing through external financing. | Solve the legal issues around land and house ownership in the Roma community. |
| Employment | Providing expertise for social economy initiatives. | Organizing job fairs, together with the competent county structures. |
The Taskforce for Roma Inclusion was created by a Local Council decision in May 2017.
A Joint Action Plan which includes the measures defined by the local CAG was adopted on 23 November 2017 . Most of the agreed objectives will be covered with European funds, few of them already being approved.
As of June 2022, ROMACT process is reinforced in Mărăşeşti and a new agreement was signed by the Mayor.
A new Joint Action Plan for Roma inclusion was adopted by the Local Council in February 2023.
With ROMACT expertise, the city hall applied for European funding (Supporting energy efficiency, smart energy management and the use of renewable energy in public infrastructures, public buildings and housing) and received help to implement projects related to reducing the number of marginalized communities at risk of poverty and social exclusion through integrated measures. Also, the city hall was coached to apply to build a compost station within the project Integrated Nutrient Pollution Control (implemented by Ministry of Environment and financed by The World Bank) and received expertise on the Regional Operational Program - POR axis 3.1. (Supporting energy efficiency, smart energy management and the use of renewable energy in public infrastructure, including public buildings and housing sector) and POR axis 10 (Educational structure development).
Several trainings were also provided:
- For the local administration employees: public procurement expert, Project Manager, EU funds accessing expert etc.
- For the community action group members: information regarding government funding, training on community development and civic participation etc.
Also, informative campaigns were made: campaign against school drop-out - coaching on dropout/children rights, campaign on health – vaccination, campaign on employment and working relations etc.
In July 2019, ROMACT monitoring visit showed that the municipality continued to implement the Local Action Plan for Roma Inclusion. It notably recently signed a contract with the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Affairs for constructing 2 social blocks with 40 apartments.
| Expertise provided to the local administration | Beneficiaries | Budget | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expertise on Human Capacity Operational Program Axis 4.1 Reducing the number of marginalized communities (in which Roma minority population counts at least 10% of the total population) at risk of poverty and social exclusion by implementing integrated measures. | The local administration- The entire community | 2.330.371 EUR | Approved |
| Expertise on Human Capacity Operational Program Axis 4.2 Reducing the number of marginalized (non-Roma) communities at risk of poverty and social exclusion through the implementation of integrated measures | The local administration- The entire community | 2.112.707 EUR | Approved |
| Expertise on Human Capacity Operational Program Axis 6.1 – School for all. | 1.434.333 EUR | Approved | |
| Expertise on “Integrated pollution control with nutrients” program - implemented by Ministry of Environment and financed by The World Bank. | The local administration- The entire community | 646.888 EUR | Rejected |
| Expertise on Regional Operational Program Axis 3.1.B - increasing energy efficiency in residential buildings, public buildings and public lighting systems, especially those with high energy consumption. | The local administration- Children and teachers-The entire community | 240.289 EUR | Approved |
| Legal expertize related to the existent waste sorting station. | The local administration The entire community | - | An agreement to take over the waste station was reached. |
| Expertise on EEA Norway Grants - Increasing Roma inclusion- DEMNI - Fair Development, Non-Discriminatory and Inclusive Measures | 976 666 EUR | Reserve list |