Introducing the Project Manager

Why did you decide to cooperate on the Jarovnice project?

Lydka: I was asked by Barbora Kohútiková, we knew each other from another project. I have been toying with the idea of finding a job with direct impact on the Romany community. I wanted to do something for this specific target group. In my previous job I had the opportunity to influence things in such way that I realized what are the things that the Romany people still need. The Jarovnice project was a challenge for me.

Imagine 2 or 3 years passed and you are looking back – what would you like to see? 

Lydka: It is easy to speak about things I would like to achieve but one has to consider the real possibilities. This project should demonstrate to children that each person has the right to choose. It is not always possible to make it happen, but they should know there are alternatives, a different way of life than the life in a segregated settlement. The children should also see a different world than the environment of the village. To learn that some people function differently, they live outside of this large ghetto, and there are many things that could be done. And sometimes all it takes is the desire. And sometimes it is necessary to get some help – we try to provide that. But one thing we all should do is to motivate these young people.

What is the timeframe of the project?

Lydka: The pilot phase of the project finishes in December 2010. In the three months after that we will evaluate it. In September 2011 we would like to enroll the most promising children into the Divé maky program and find donors for them. We are already writing follow-up projects. We are doing everything to make it sustainable so we could continue for as long as possible.