In Bulgaria school attendance is compulsory for all children until they are 16. But more than 60% of the kids in the ghetto do not go to school at all or only occasionally. Life in many families is often determined by alcoholism, drugs or violence – nobody takes care of the children’s school attendance. Very often antiquated traditions of the Roma hinder them from starting their children in school.
LITD works together with a school in Varna making it possible for the children from the ghetto to attend school. After intensive efforts by LITD, a fairly big group of children were able to start school in summer 2009.
These children were aged between seven and 13 years old when they started in Class 1. Most of them didn’t speak Bulgarian and so they needed to be specially looked after with a lot of fostering. That is why there are always helpers of LITD present during the lessons to support the teachers with the Roma children. Very often they have to translate for the teachers or pupils. In school, as well as at home, the children are being helped and supported with their homework and learning Bulgarian by specially trained people.
We also provide the children with school uniforms, school books and equipment. In contrast to the Bulgarian children ours don’t keep these items – they are the property of LITD and are used again the following year.
Through our food programme the children are being fed three times a day. They have breakfast, a snack for lunch and a warm meal in the evening. Through co-operation with the school doctor and the Polyclinic the children are being medically looked after and if necessary can have psychological treatment.
To keep us informed of our children’s progress at school there are regular meetings between our collaborators and the school staff. We work together with the headmasters, or mistresses, in a very trustworthy way and try to keep good contact with the parents. To help them with visits to the authorities, a round table was established with representatives of the social security office, the parents’ board, the parish and LITD.