On the eve of Easter holidays the International Renaissance Foundation provides food aid to Roma camps in Zakarpattia
The aim of this project is to provide 800 Roma families with children with a food package that includes buckwheat, flour, sugar, sunflower oil, macaroni and other products. Delivery of food products directly to the families in camps will be done on volunteer basis by Zakarpattia Charitable Foundation “Blago”. Families in the following camps will receive the aid: families in the camp Pyrohovo (city of Uzhhorod), in the village of Kholmok (Uzhhorod Region), the village of Zhnyatyno and the village of Barkosovo (Mukachevsky Region) and in the city of Berehovo and the village of Verbovets (Vynohradovo Region).
“Every year the Roma of Ukraine Program runs actions for provision of social aid to Roma population of Zakarpattia. So, last year we ran a number of events for Roma children on the eve of the New Year. Now we are conducting an aid action to provide food packages to the poorest camps in Zakarpattia Oblast. Within the framework of our strategy we will further support similar projects. This year we will start a project for construction of toilet areas and water supply systems in Roma camps of the oblast”, noted Nataliya Kyyak, Manager of the Roma of Ukraine Program of the International Renaissance Foundation.
In order to improve the living conditions of Roma people to at least some extent, the Roma of Ukraine Program carried out an urgent assessment of several dozens of camps in Zakarpattia Oblast and chose six camps that needed food aid above all.
According to official statistics, about 50,000 Roma people live in Ukraine. However, Roma public organizations report that there are from 150,000 to 400,000 Roma people living in our country. Half of them live in Zakarpattia in compact settlements and camps, where living conditions are not acceptable for normal life: often camps do not have access to water and heat. The situation with food is not better either. Such a situation leads to outbreak and spread of infectious diseases of different types and sometimes even to lethal cases.
Contact persons: Eleonora Kulchar, Head of Charitable Foundation “Blago”, mob. 050 151-86-05
