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4
ISSUES CONCERNING FOOD
programme. Gradually,
more and more
children from the Roma
community are setting
off to school as soon as
they are old enough.
in pre-school, compared
to just 37% of Roma
children. By the time
they should be starting
primary school, these
children have fallen
behind, and children
who start school
late often quickly drop
out altogether. This
situation is further
aggravated by the
extreme poverty of
these communities
and the absence of
schools in some rural
areas. Transport, school
expenses and parents’
fear of their children
leaving the village
are also obstacles to
school attendance.
How is
OvidiuRO
tackling this trend?
We support vulnerable
families by giving
them food vouchers
worth €12 every month.
In exchange, they
have to make sure
their children aged
3 to 5 years go to
pre-school every day.
One day a month, one
of the parents attends
classes with their child.
We also fund training
sessions and
learning materials.
What results have
you had so far?
The programme
has really boosted
school attendance,
by 40% to 80%.
The great majority
of parents react very
positively and are
grateful. Our vouchers
are obviously part
of the reason for the
success, but the
result would not be
so convincing without
the support of the
local authorities,
who play a key role
in implementing the
What is the situation
regarding early
education in Romania?
According to the
Romanian National
Institute of Statistics
(INS), before the
national education
programme “
Fiecare
Copil in Gradinita
”
(Every Child
in Preschool
& Kindergarten) was
launched, 77% of
Romanian children were
2
,
200
CHILDREN AGED
3 TO 5 YEARS ARE
NOW INVOLVED
IN THE PROGRAMME
“EARLY
EDUCATION
IS ONE OF
THE KEYS
TO SOCIAL
INCLUSION.”
OVIDIURO
Since 2013,
funding from
the Carrefour
Foundation has
helped provide
vouchers for
1,600 children
every year as part
of the “Every Child
in Preschool”
programme.
“We offer families
food vouchers
inexchange for
sending their
children to school.”
3 questions
for Leslie Hawke
President of
the
OvidiuRO
association
ROMANIA