Kántorjánosi and Nagyecsed

Observing Community Driven Initiatives

This week I was offered the opportunity to participate in a trip with Partners Hungary Alapítvány ( Partners Hungary Alapítvány ). We visited two Roma settlements in the villages of Kántorjánosi and Nagyecsed in order to observe the implementation of local health projects. It is important to note that settlements in this case refer to areas of a town or community that have been formally or informally labeled as "Roma". The size of settlements can ranges from a few blocks to larger neighborhoods. As in the case of other marginalized populations there are clearly disparities in socioeconomic status between settlements and within the distinct Roma communities themselves. I was informed that their segregation as a community often produces informal economies that operate on credits and high interest rates. These are often impossible to repay, and leave poorer families indebted to grocery stores or individual Roma members that are economically more fortunate. It is important to note that the Roma do not consist of one homogeneous group, however there are several commonalities that highlight them as a distinct and marginalized population within the Hungarian context:

• History of enslavement, forced integration, and marginalization. This was often condoned and initiated by government, and has created conditions in which open racism and distrust of the Roma is a common and relatively accepted practice by the much of the Hungarian population. 

• Based on a literature review of the Roma in Hungary it is possible to hypothesize that this distrust may have some foundation in the Roma's historical adaptability, which at times facilitated their experiences under different ruling powers. This adaptability was often understood as being a representation of dishonesty and disloyalty as communities often changed religion, language, and norms in order to more easily engage with new regional powers. 

• The Roma are traditionally-historically nomadic. This often clashed with the process of urbanization and the creation of permanent dwellings that has been the global evolutionary norm over the centuries.

• The Roma have competed for employment and resources with local populations.

• Roma culture is diverse and many of the norms and traditions practiced by this group marks it as different from mainstream Hungarian culture. 

• While it is understood that race and ethnicity are social constructions used to categorize and understand the world in which we operate, it is important to note that the Roma in the communities in which we visited do have visible differences in terms of beauty ideals, dress, and traditional norms/values. These socially constructed differences are often used to legitimate ethnocentric ideas. 

• Within the Roma community in Hungary there are distinctions based on the percentage of Roma "blood" in one's lineage. These distinctions are strong enough to create separate communities and schisms within the Roma. However, even if someone is half Roma, they are seemingly classified as Roma by individuals outside the Roma community. This reminds me of the African-American experience in the United States.

• There is an extremely high rate of poverty 

• High birth rates and large extended family units.

• From a purely observational perspective there is a lack of access to basic needs and resources: education, health-care, water, electricity, adequate shelter, and food. There is clearly a disparity between the quality of life for "Hungarians" and the "Roma" in Hungary. Differences that are further exacerbated by rural-urban disparities.

• Hungary can be considered a transitional democracy and as such has produced a variety of legislation intended to integrate the Roma into government and society, while simultaneously protecting their minority and cultural rights. The Roma vote for their own local government leaders and national representatives. However, these moves toward inclusiveness seem to largely be theoretical and implementation is greatly lacking. 

• The perception of inclusiveness and respect for minority rights seems to a large extent to exacerbate inequalities by framing problems as "local" and "internal" Roma issues. This has allowed for a system that effectively segregates the Roma from institutional structures that provide for the general Hungarian population.

Kántorjánosi: 

The first location that we visited was Kántorjánosi, and I was fortunate enough to be present for a community event that was funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GlaxoSmithKline). Partners Hungary Alapítvány provided the training for local Roma mediators and provided the expertise for these individuals to produce a community event focused on the theme of good community health practices. It was wonderful to see a community driven event that empowered local actors to participate in educating their fellow community members on the dangers of drugs, nicotine, and alcohol. A lecture by a Roma doctor was given. The event also included a CPR demonstration and free blood-sugar and blood-pressure testing. Although, it was not clear as to what occurs if an individual is informed of high or low test results. This is most likely the next phase of research in terms of understanding the Roma health care needs. Knowing one's health status is important, however if there is no follow-up or medical services available it is rather redundant in the long run. The event was primarily led by female

mediators and community leaders. It is possible that this community driven program is increasing women's empowerment inadvertently. This can often be a "side-effect" of programs that deal with health and family well being, as it is often considered to be located in the realm of "home" or the private sphere. Women have traditionally being responsible for the households well-being.  Partners Hungary Alapítvány also utilized a raffle system to incentivize attendance. This worked extremely well, and over 150 tickets were handed out. The benefit of providing this form of incentive is that it appealed to a broad demographic that was diverse in terms of age and gender. The event engaged the local school and community by having them showcase traditional Roma dances.

While in the settlement I visited a local pre-school, which was updated by funding received from the European Union. I was given a tour of the facility and was impressed by the quality of supplies and services the school is able to provide. There are options for providing discounted or free meals to students who may not be able to afford it, and

a special speech therapy room to help students with language difficulties.  It should be made clear that this facility was made possible by funding provided by an outside institution and is not the norm for most Roma communities. In a display of tradition and contemporary culture students preformed dances to mainstream pop-culture hits such as "Waka-Waka" by Shakira and Psy's "Gangnam Style", as well as traditional ones. The importance of a successfully led community event cannot be underestimated. It gave the mediators confidence in their abilities to run community events and serve as inter-cultural liaisons. It is evident that the staff at Partners Hungary Alapítvány have established a strong partnership with the local community and are committed to facilitating community driven development and engagement. 

Nagyecsed:

This community was certainly more impoverished than the one we had visited the day before, and the living conditions can really only be described as those that come to mind when picturing a slum. Most striking is how cleverly masked the poverty for the Roma in this settlement is. One has to bypass a major road that reflects suburban normalcy in order to reach the couple of blocks that designate the Roma settlement. Changes in infrastructure are immediately evident, as tarmac roads become pothole riddled dirt roadways. The homes in which these Roma currently live lack: running water, gas stoves, often have no means of acquiring consistent electricity, and are in an extreme state of deterioration. There is an abundance of shattered windows, damage caused by moisture, and very precarious structures. Indoor toilets are not the norm for most of these homes, and hastily constructed outhouses and pits can be found in most backyards. These are often not weather proof and are created by simply providing minor coverage over a shallow pit. This obviously causes a concern both in terms of hygiene and privacy. Some of the outhouses, based on observation, are constructed very close to the main water lines that feed community water pumps, and are often next to the small backyard vegetable plots. This certainly caused me some distress as diarrhoeal disease caused by unsafe-drinking water, and poor sanitation and hygiene conditions, is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old. My concern was based on the potential for fecal matter to find its way into the vegetable crops and the drinking water. I was informed by a member of  Partner Hungary Alapítvány that boiling the water was considerably hard due to a lack of gas stoves and problems with acquiring firewood. Understanding the problems associated with a lack of sanitary facilities for human waste, Partners Hungary Alapítvány facilitated a community discussion that led to the establishment of a day of building outhouses. These were rudimentary in nature- consisting of unfinished lumber (often of different lengths), nails, and a couple hinges. However, they are a marker of true community based development. A local Roma man stepped up to demonstrate how to construct the structures, and local men in the community dedicated a day to building and installing outhouses.  

Based on observations, in terms of health concerns:

• There is clearly a lack of dental and ocular care, not surprising considering basic hygiene is limited.

• It was reassuring to know that primary vaccinations are provided free-of-cost by the Hungarian healthcare system.

• Having enough food was a concern of some of the Roma who engaged the group in discussion.

• In terms of health, this could potentially be indicative of poor nutrition and potential malnutrition.

• From observation, I noticed a high level of smoking among young mothers. There seems to be mixed information relating to the potential harms of smoking while breastfeeding, however I personally believe that there is a real fear of exposure to nicotine and other toxins in both ambient air and breast milk. Breast milk is proven to be beneficial to the health of young children, providing substantial calories and nutritional needs as well as boosting the immune system and providing essential vitamins for healthy development.

• Families are usually large and homes overcrowded. This poses concerns for the spread of communicable diseases.

While the construction of outhouses was in progress, children were given a test to evaluate their knowledge of basic nutrition. This evaluation should have reflected basic health knowledge learnt in a school and home setting. This experience in Nagyecsed highlighted the importance of community centers. These spaces provide physical spaces for mediation, early childhood education programs, and a safe environment in which to address community concerns and develop potential strategies and solutions to problems. Being able to participate in both trips was a wonderful way to observe the impact of local NGOs, the importance of local community empowerment and development, as well as more fully understand how marginalized from mainstream Hungarian institutions the Roma people are.