The Roma of Tiszavasvari, a town in the Northeast of Hungary, are split into two separate communities: the Romungro and the Olah. The two groups live on opposite sides of town and rarely interact with one another or with the larger Hungarian community. The socioeconomic situation of the two Roma groups is quite disparate. While the Romungro enjoy a standard of living similar to the Hungarian community, the Olah live in conditions of abject poverty, including overcrowding, a lack of running water and adequate heating systems, unsanitary neighborhood conditions, and nearly 100 percent unemployment.

As crime rates, ethnic tension and violence rose, Partners-Hungary conducted cooperative planning sessions to address these problems. Soon after Partners-Hungary began work in Tiszavasvari, a scandal broke out that received national media attention. A local school held a separate graduation ceremony for 17 Olah children, and it soon emerged that Roma children were generally segregated from Hungarian children in the school and prevented from using certain facilities. The scandal lent urgency to the need to build understanding and cooperation among Romungro, Olah, and Hungarians.

As a result, Partners-Hungary intensified its involvement in Tiszavasvari by conducting trainings and cooperative planning sessions monthly. Through its cooperative planning process, Partners-Hungary was largely credited for the election of a Roma Minority Self-Government (RMSG – a political organization of the Roma community) in 1998. However, four of the five-member RMSG were Romungro while only one was Olah, in a community where the Olah outnumber the Romungro two to one. This happened primarily because the two Roma groups were unable to agree on a unified platform and they ran separately. Many non-Roma voted in the election, and were thought to have voted for Romungro candidates so that Olah candidates would not be elected. This situation highlighted the importance of Romungro-Olah cooperation, in addition to Roma-Hungarian cooperation and the need for attention to the specific problems of the Olah community.

With the aid of Partners-Hungary, Olah Roma have made gains. More Olah representatives are participating in the community planning project, focusing on agricultural issues and job creation, including a long-term goat-breeding project. An Olah representative was brought on to advise the RMSG. A new school is being built in the Olah district, Olah children receive three full meals a day at school, and teachers are being trained in Roma languages. The main road through the Olah neighborhood was improved, and the town instituted public hygiene measures to exterminate rats, vaccinate wild dogs, and improve garbage service and water taps. A new street of some 40 houses was built in the Olah neighborhood. In addition, there is now significantly less violence between Olah Roma and Hungarians. Also important, relations between the Romungro and Olah communities have begun to improve through recreational activities and informal contact.

While there is still much work to be done in Tiszavasvari, these successes show the applicability of Partners-Hungary’s methods in handling inter-group disputes and helping Roma groups gain the skills to advocate for themselves. The Roma are now taking more initiative for change, and they are finding town leaders more receptive to their needs.

Additional Resources
1) Press Release Announcing Launch of Partners & USAID Roma Initiative
(Microsoft Word Document)

2) Case Study on Partners-Hungary's Roma Initiatives, by Reflecting on Peace Practice Project (pdf)