Observations from a Journey through Roma Communities

During my travels, I encountered a stark contrast in the lives of children playing amidst waste dumps and others preparing for school. I discovered dilapidated shacks alongside modern social housing. I met industrious Roma families as well as individuals struggling with unemployment. I listened to stories of discrimination faced daily and those who coexist peacefully with their neighbors. The picture is complex, but let’s begin with Ramiz Šakoli, a resident of a Roma neighborhood on the outskirts of Nikšić, Montenegro:

“When we go to the city center, people point at us and say: ‘Look, there are the gypsies.’ We enter a coffee shop, and the same remarks follow: ‘There are the gypsies.’ The relations are strained,” he shares. However, change is gradually emerging in some cities.

The European Commission honored seven mayors from the Western Balkans for their initiatives supporting Roma communities. In Montenegro, the award was presented to Marko Kovačević, the mayor of Nikšić, a city with a population of approximately 70,000, including an estimated 1,500 Roma residents.

Change is Happening, but Progress is Slow

Kovačević has actively promoted the construction of 31 social housing units, of which 17 were allocated to Roma families. Yet, when he sought to expand the project, he faced resistance from the local populace: “Change is happening too slowly. The differing lifestyles of the Roma community and the rest of our community in Nikšić contribute to this. Recently, we aimed to build 10 more social housing units, but we encountered significant opposition from the surrounding community,” he explains.

I visited the “Center for Roma Initiatives,” where the NGO advocates for the rights of Roma women. According to the director, Fana Delija, various issues such as health, education, employment, and housing are interconnected. “A crucial first step would be to resolve property rights, a challenge prevalent across all regions of former Yugoslavia,” Delija notes. Some Roma families own their homes, while others do not. A few years ago, the municipality built social housing in the Gracanica district, where around 300 individuals currently reside. However, many residents endure dire living conditions, as Bukurija Sejdi, an elderly resident, describes: “Fourteen people live in this house, including my son with an ill baby. None of us have steady jobs; only one person receives social benefits.” This sentiment is echoed by Roma activist Fana Delija, who emphasizes the importance of focusing on employment in the community over the next four years.

Accompanying Zoja Tarlamišaj, a Roma mediator at the local secondary school, I visited Amela and her six children at home. Amela, married to a Roma man, understands the necessity of solid education for securing qualified employment. Tarlamišaj closely monitors the academic progress of the few Roma children who have reached secondary school. As a Roma herself who successfully completed university—a rarity in Montenegro—Tarlamišaj urges political leaders to reform educational legislation: “If secondary education were mandatory, fewer pupils from the Roma-Egyptian community would drop out after elementary school, allowing them to acquire better qualifications and improve their lives.”

Roma Action Plan in Bosnia-Herzegovina

My journey continues to Bosnia-Herzegovina, specifically to Bijeljina, which has a population of around 100,000, including an estimated 2,000 Roma. The city is actively constructing social housing projects, establishing a shelter for exploited children, and supporting a Roma festival. Mayor Ljubiša Petrović recently unveiled his second Roma action plan, covering the period from 2024 to 2027. “Education is the cornerstone for the greater inclusion of the Roma minority,” he asserts. As part of this initiative, Roma children receive year-round care, thanks to the NGO Otaharin, which provides homework tutoring and psychological support. Every day, meals are offered, along with opportunities for creative activities.

Many families in Bijeljina converse in Romani, which leads to their children entering primary school with limited proficiency in Serbian. This language barrier creates significant challenges, as noted by Sanita Smajić, a Roma coordinator at the Otaharin daycare center, who advocates for intensive language support: “I propose that elementary schools employ assistants for the Romani language.”

The sun blazes down as I meet Vesida and her colleague, harvesting strawberries and packing tomatoes. Vesida enjoys a permanent position on a nearby vegetable farm, Agroplan, while many other Roma opt for day labor, often struggling to secure long-term contracts. Supported by the Austrian Development Agency, Care International, the Roma NGO Otaharin, and the municipality of Bijeljina, the Agroplan vegetable project primarily aims to assist women. “I am very satisfied with my job,” Vesida states. “I understand the hardships of unemployment; there are essential needs and bills to pay.”

Building for a Better Future in Vrnjačka Banja

My final stop is in the spa city of Vrnjačka Banja in Serbia, known for attracting numerous tourists and its tolerant atmosphere. Approximately 400 Roma reside in this area. Over the past eight years, local Roma projects have received about one million euros from international donors, with the city contributing nearly 200,000 euros from its budget. “We have built social housing for families living in the worst conditions and relocated them,” says city mayor Boban Đurović. Since 2016, the city has employed a Roma mediator, Dejan Pavlović. We venture to the nearby village of Gračac, home to around 250 Roma, the largest Roma settlement in the municipality. I meet village representative Živoslav Vujičić, who spent decades working in Germany. Upon returning to Serbia, he constructed a spacious, well-kept house with a neat garden. Today, he serves as the local Roma spokesperson, highlighting the positive relationship with the mayor: “He responds to everyone, not just through social media. People even visit his home for assistance, and he’s always available.”

However, Vujičić acknowledges the challenges faced by the community: “Our greatest need is for a sewage system.” We walk through the settlement, and I meet Vladica, a German-speaking Rom afflicted by diabetes. His brother suffers from a heart condition. They struggle to make ends meet, with Vladica lamenting the inadequacy of their social benefits. He invites me inside their home, which lacks a toilet, forcing them to use an open shack. While the municipality has provided construction materials for renovations, Vladica questions the availability of labor: “We were promised renovations to our bathroom and connection to the electricity network. We have the materials, but we are still waiting for workers.”

New Home, Fresh Start

While many houses in the village are well-maintained, others tell a different story. Roma mediator Dejan Pavlović shows me a dilapidated ruin that once housed a large family. Rain poured through the roof. About a year ago, social services finally intervened, Pavlović shares: “Six people lived in this house, and they were relocated to a new building constructed through a social housing program initiated by the municipality of Vrnjačka Banja. I’m delighted that this family found accommodation.”

Today, seven-year-old Melissa and her family have begun anew. They transitioned from their crumbling home to a brand-new apartment in a social housing estate funded in part by the European Union. Melissa’s father is a tailor, but job opportunities in his field are scarce, so he supplements their income by working on construction sites. To support the family, two grown sons received vocational training with the municipality’s assistance—one became a tiler, while the other trained as a hairdresser. “I finally feel I can breathe again,” says Melissa’s mother, Sonja. “We have enough places to sleep now; we aren’t crammed in like sardines anymore.”

Her teenage daughter, Kristina, is already a mother to a baby named Gabriel. Like many others in Vrnjačka Banja, early pregnancies and school dropouts remain pressing issues. When asked about her future plans, Kristina responds, “Maybe I’ll become a hairdresser.” She shares her excitement about their new home: “Here we have a kitchen and a bathroom where we can take a bath. Before, we had to do it outdoors. It’s wonderful here.”

For genuine change to take place, there must be a concerted political will, sufficient funding, a great deal of patience, and collaborative efforts among NGOs, donors, municipalities, and local Roma communities.