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.
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.
* Strategic actions for reducing number of people at poverty risk and social exclusion from Marasesti Municipality - Funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).
Beneficiaries : 600
Budget : 2 359 260€
Status : approved
* Be Marasesti ! - Funded by the ESF.
Budget : 2 085 679€
Status : approved
* ViaEdu - A better future through education - Funded by the ESF.
Budget : 1 440 815€
Status : approved
* Integrated pollution control with nutrients (composting station) - Funded by the world bank.
Budget : 646 888€
Status : on reserve list
* Improving the energetic efficiency for middle school n2, buildings C1/C2/C3 - Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Budget : 240 289€
Status : approved
* DEMNI - Fair Development, Non-Discriminatory and Inclusive Measures - Funded by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and Norwegian Grants 2014-2021.
Status : rejected
* School for all - Funded by the Human Capacity Operational Program Axis 6.1.
Budget : 1 434 333€
Status : approved
Trainings provided by ROMACT experts :
Community Action Groups:
* Information regarding government funding ;
* community development and civic participation.
Local Authorities :
* Public procurement expert ;
* Project Manager ;
* Accessing EU funds.
- 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.