Mircea Toma, President of ActiveWatch speaks about the program
I was in Cluj-Napoca at a meeting to promote scholarships for potential candidates for our project supporting Roma students in the field of medicine.
One of the Roma grant-holders told us a story about her grandmother, who was trying to have any reason to be there.”
She didn’t listen - and disobedience was part of her successful journey, but the argument of her grandmother still exerts a powerful force on Roma communities. This lack of professional development of Roma children is a problem which our program proposes to tackle.
What answer can a Roma child give to this question: What do you want to be when you grow up?
If we want hope to exist, we need success stories to act as reference points. Do you know any Roma doctors? We could not find a single one who would acknowledge his or her Roma identity.
Is it worth for Roma to aspire to such a prestigious position of a great doctor, when not even one Roma doctor has yet to recognize their own ethnicity?
Will there be any change if a professional generation of Roma people can succeed?
Our project was born from our belief that the dreams of Roma children should have a chance of fulfilment without the struggle of uncertainty. Following the implementation of our project, today there are hundreds of young people at the threshold of achieving an impressive professional career.
Two conditions are necessary for them to become professional engines of aspiration.
One is to be competent in their chosen career - that's why our program helps only students with good and excellent results.
The second condition is for them to acknowledge their Roma identity.
I am convinced that there are over one million Roma people disseminated through the entire Romanian population - Roma who became Romanians, or Hungarians, or Turks or any other ethnic group. There are also doctors who ”were” Roma, but no longer recognize this in themselves.
Our hope is that our grant holders remain Roma even after they become successful in their careers and obtain an impressive status.
Children must know they can hope, and in realizing their ambition, can show their grandparents that becoming a Roma doctor is achievable.
One of the Roma grant-holders told us a story about her grandmother, who was trying to have any reason to be there.”
She didn’t listen - and disobedience was part of her successful journey, but the argument of her grandmother still exerts a powerful force on Roma communities. This lack of professional development of Roma children is a problem which our program proposes to tackle.
What answer can a Roma child give to this question: What do you want to be when you grow up?
If we want hope to exist, we need success stories to act as reference points. Do you know any Roma doctors? We could not find a single one who would acknowledge his or her Roma identity.
Is it worth for Roma to aspire to such a prestigious position of a great doctor, when not even one Roma doctor has yet to recognize their own ethnicity?
Will there be any change if a professional generation of Roma people can succeed?
Our project was born from our belief that the dreams of Roma children should have a chance of fulfilment without the struggle of uncertainty. Following the implementation of our project, today there are hundreds of young people at the threshold of achieving an impressive professional career.
Two conditions are necessary for them to become professional engines of aspiration.
One is to be competent in their chosen career - that's why our program helps only students with good and excellent results.
The second condition is for them to acknowledge their Roma identity.
I am convinced that there are over one million Roma people disseminated through the entire Romanian population - Roma who became Romanians, or Hungarians, or Turks or any other ethnic group. There are also doctors who ”were” Roma, but no longer recognize this in themselves.
Our hope is that our grant holders remain Roma even after they become successful in their careers and obtain an impressive status.
Children must know they can hope, and in realizing their ambition, can show their grandparents that becoming a Roma doctor is achievable.
