Equal Start

The Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion is partnering to deliver a community project in Stara Zagora: Effective Practices for Encouraging Early Education in High-risk Communities (Equal Start), funded by The Trussell Trust. The project is delivered by World Without Borders.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

Research shows that the reasons for the general failure of educational work with children of Roma ethnic origin are of a complex and difficult nature.  The following reasons are strong factors in why children find it difficult to adapt to the school environment and to integrate further in society:

• lack of good child care skills and responsible parenthood in the community;
• low levels of literacy and qualification among adult Roma; severe social isolation of the Roma community;
• low standard of living (a factor in low school attendance, incomplete participation in educational activities and high rate of school dropouts);
• high unemployment rate amongst ethnic minorities;
• myths, attitudes and prejudice which aggravate marginalisation.

PROJECT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

The project is aiming to establish a range of services, working on early interventions for school dropout prevention and complete educational integration of children of Roma ethnic origin.

The main goal of the project is connected to lowering the risk of school dropout (and the consequences of it) and enhancing the capacity of young children, parents and informal leaders from the community for inclusion in the educational process.