Periscope Field reports
Insistent in their attempt to be educated citizens of tomorrow they are trapped in poverty and hard life today
The whole family support S.C. in her education, but they say that they have hard times because they are looking after ill person and they spend a lot of money in medications and hospital bills and besides that, the family doesn’t have their own home, they live in a house that is property of someone else and they pay rent of 2.000 denars per month. The girl is very interested in learning and education process and says that she is very grateful that her family provides her an opportunity to go to school besides the fact that they live in poverty. She applied for the scholarship as the last chance to be independent and not to be a burden on her family small budget. She says if she get negative response on her application, she’ll quit the school
SKOPJE…The family Memdovi is living in the area called Jurumleri which is situated around 15 kilometers from the center of Skopje. The family has seven members – grandmother, grandfather, the father Enver, the mother Kimet and three children, students in the elementary school, Petar Petrovik – Njegos,. K.M. is the oldest daughter and she is in the seventh grade, than her brother K.M. that is in fourth grade and at the end, E.M. student in third grade. They live in a very small house, exactly in a small room of 15 square meters and they have a small porch where they live their shoes, just to keep them dry when the rain is falling. In other, even smaller room are living the grandparents. The grandfather is ill from diabetes and has huge problems with his legs, caught with the gangrene. They don’t have water system and fecal canalization. They don’t have money for water system, and there’s no fecal canalization in the whole area where they live. No one from the family is employed and they don’t receive social help too. The father Enver politely invited me in their humble but worm home. Inside the place was clean. His wife Kimeta asked me what I’m preferring to drink. The kids were at school, so I had a chance to talk with Enver about their financial situation. He said that he doesn’t use the social help because he didn’t manage to apply in the Biro, but he mentioned that his children have health insurance. I asked him how they live, how they survive. He pointed on one old machine for chopping wood, placed in the yard.
With that machine I’m out all day long and I’m waiting someone to call me, so that I can make money just for bread, said Enver.
After a while, children came home from school. They said hello and set on the floor because I was sitting on the only bad they have. E.M. started to share information about how was her day at school. The oldest daughter showed to her parents what she has for homework and said that that day she must learn harder. I asked the children to describe me how look’s like their day at school. They get up at seven o’clock, they wash themselves in the yard, where they have a water pump, they comb their hairs and go to school. After school, they come at home and write their homeworks and in the afternoons they visit their relatives baby in order to play with it. Before bad, they study again with their parents help, watch TV and go to bad.
Two days ago I went to their school to talk with the teachers. I asked them who is the best Roma student in their classes and they told me that that is K.M. and her sister E.M.
After finishing my coffee, I’ve decided to leave this family who despite the poverty, they live in harmony. They wished to repeat the reunion. I promised them that I’ll return again to see how the children are progressing at school.
From the report of Memet Memet,
mediator of NRC
TETOVO…Imran Jasari-Bajrami is born in 1983 in Tetovo. She finished primary education in the elementary school ,Goce Delcev, and secondary education in high school ,Mosa Pijade,. She continues higher education in Skopje on the Faculty for philology ,Blaze Koneski, department for Macedonian language and literature. She has only one exam to graduation. She is a teacher of Roma language and culture in the elementary school ,Goce Delcev in Tetovo, with additional classes in two other schools. Several months ago she got married to Ardjent Bajrami, graduated machine engineer from Debar, employed in a company that produces bank cards. They live in Skopje. Imran now travels every day, but her plan is to search for a job in Skopje after her graduation and to continue with master studies. She is satisfied with her current job and her communication with the Roma students, but not from the cooperation with her colleagues because she is sensing lack of understanding and cooperation.
It is a pleasure that I work in the same school where I finished my primary education, only because one thing – to make a point that beside the present discrimination, and which is going to be present for a long time, I’ve managed to be on a same level as the other students, says Imran.
Referring to the classes and what is lacking in the process are books made according to the curricula and because of that, I’m working on preparing the books for the subject named, Roma language and culture, present from third till sixth grade. I have small difficulties because I’m also a mentor of children from first till fourth grade, I was a member of a commission that worked on a curriculum for the Roma language, I travel every day, I’m participating in many seminars, I’m a trainer for women rights and equal possibilities, seminars for political participation by the Roma women etc. Additionally, I’m studying for my last exam and I’m taking care for my husband. But, when you have a will, everything is manageable, points out Imran.
From the report of Hasan Idrizi,
mediator of NRC
SKOPJE…E.C. is a student in a eight grade in the elementary school ,Avram Pisevski, from Bardovci. Her mother passed away five years ago. Her father and her grandparents are taking care for her now. E. is a regular student and exemplary student. She is well excepted by the other students and teachers. She likes to make friends, to help other students when is needed. She is actively participating in many school activities. In fifth and sixth grade she was awarded because she was an excellent student. On a recommendation by the school, she received monthly scholarship from the municipality of Karpos. She says that that scholarship is a motivation to study move herself and to achieve great results in her future education. After finishing primary education, she wishes to sign in into medical high school in Skopje. She wants to study medicine in order to help the people.
From the report of Ljatife Sikovska,
mediator of NRC
KUMANOVO…A.M. is 15 years old and she is a student in the first year of secondary school ,Nace Bugjoni, studying for machine technician. She lives in area called Baraki and she is from very poor five-member family. Her parents are unemployed and users of social help. They earn some extra money working on fields. A.M. lives in a very small house, with two rooms. The yard is shared with her three uncles and one aunt. Her parents are illiterate and never visit school. She is the first member of her family in the last five generations that is attending the secondary school.
Although we are illiterate, we have a strong will for our daughter to continue with her education. The whole family is so proud of her and we are struggling to provide her all the necessary conditions – books, school material, says her mother Nadina.
Nevertheless the fact that A.M. is from poor family, she is regular student, she actively participate in many school activities, visit many workshops and seminars organized by her school of NGO’s in Skopje.
Because the difficult financial situation that the family is in, her parents are forced to work as field workers in other towns in Macedonia. During spring and autumn the whole family work in order to earn money for the winters.
They do not take me with them because of the obligations that I have at school, says A.M.
Her parents have great sense for the importance for the education of their daughter. They are aware for the meaning of education and they know that the education can be the path towards greater future.
My daughter must finish the secondary education, with the God’s will even faculty, because without education, she won’t have any future and carrier, says the mother Nadina.
With the money they earn they can’t afford enough food, and not to speak for new clothes and shoes for the girl, because she is not the only child in the family, the family has three other children, but the girl is so aware of the situation and she is so modest.
A.M. finished the first semester with the excellent results, but she hopes that she will have even better grades till the end of the school year, with the wish to continue with her education.
From the report of Mirvet Muslievska,
mediator of NRC
STIP…S.S. is a student in a first year in the secondary school, Dimitar Misarciev, from Stip. The is very fond of school and she isn’t planning to quit until she finishes the higher education. Her life goal is to finish the Faculty for medicine so hat she can help the people because her mother is very ill. She lives in a four member family. They are users of social help because of the illness of her mother Nazmie. She is paralyzed. Her father Serafetin along with his older sun Orhan during the seasons work on fields in order to earn some money. The whole family supports their daughter in her education, but they say that they have difficult times now because they are having ill person in their home and they spend most of the money on medicines and hospital bills, and the top of that, they are paying rent because they don’t have a house of their own. They pay monthly rate of 2.000 denars. The girl is very interested in school and says that thanks to her family and their support, she can go to school besides the fact that they are living in very poor conditions. She says that she applied for scholarship as the last chance to be independent and not to be a burden on her family small budget. She says if she get negative response on her application, she’ll quit school
From the report of Demirsa Osmanov
mediator of NRC
SKOPJE…S.D. is a regular students in the school "Kuzman Sapkarev" in the area Dracevo and at the moment he is in the sixth grade. He has excellent accomplishments and results at school, the teachers and his co-students from Macedonian nationality have great respect because they appreciate his efforts to be an excellent student. He is also an excellent students in the lower music school in Skopje. He is now in the third year there. He learns to play the clarinet and each year he is better. He is one of the three top excellent students among his generation. He was picked to participate in a music event in Serbia, therefore he is working even harder. His father is working with him every day. The little boy’s wish is to finish the primary education, to continue in the secondary school and to become the first Roma player on clarinet in the Macedonian Philharmony.
From the report of Senad Memet,
mediator of NRC
PRILEP…The R.M.’s family lives in area called Trizla 2. There are only two members – Robert and his single parent mom. The only income is the social help. Robert finished the primary education with great results. In the second half of 2005 he enrolled in the secondary school ,Riste Risteski – Ricko, in Prilep where he went for few months, but he felt discriminated by the other students and by the teachers and because of that he decided to quit school. After one year of pause, Robert figured that the education is very crucial factor for his future and his life, so he went back to school, this time in ,Gorce Petrov, with the one goal – to become an excellent student. He was a regular student, but in November 2006, his father passed away, right after Robert’s signing in into school. Beside this family tragedy, Robert stayed on his goal to continue with his education although his mother was trying to changed his mind mostly because of their financial problems. After finishing the first year he got a scholarship from the SOROS Foundation. That helped their financial situation and he continued to study and become excellent student in first, second and third year.
From the report of Bilent,
meditator of NRC
VINICA…The success by the Roma people is easy to forget or many times people don’t believe in it. Nice words for them are mainly on the last plan. But, still we keep asking ourselves is there really a progress? The reality sometimes isn’t that hard because there are still examples on which we can relay on and with proud with can talk about them. One boy from my town made such impression. His name is Edvin S. and he is a student in the secondary school ,Vanco Prke, in Vinica. He is in the third year right now and he has interests in social sciences. He has troubles with mathematics, but he is working hard on his assignments. He is the best student in his class and the only Roma. He has strong support from his parents who they want to see their child as a students on some of the Universities in Macedonia. He himself has a great desire for knowledge and success, and he sees himself as a teacher. He wants to sign in on the Faculty for pedagogy. He is very interested in law and learning foreign languages.
From the report of Eliza Osmanova,
mediator of NRC
PRILEP…I’ve visited S.K. many times. During my first visit, I’ve talked to his mother who said that she had no time to provide a receipt for the S.K’s vaccines. She told me that her son has received all the necessary vaccines. After that, I went to the hospital to check that and to take the receipt in her name. Unfortunately, the doctors there told me that the little boy hasn’t received all the vaccines and because of that they were not able to give me the necessary receipt. A visited the family again in order to transfer the information. I’ve talked to the boy’s father telling him that the boy must be vaccinated. Nevertheless, the father said that he’ll wait for official invitation by the hospital and that his son won’t be able to go to school this year, because he thinks that his son is too small to go to school. I tried to convinced him the opposite, that he is not the right man to decide and that there are specialized cervices in school for that. Also, I’ve tried to explain that there are legal consequences if he refuse to send his son in school. But, besides all my efforts the father stayed on his opinion. The point of this story is that nevertheless the Law towards obligatory immunization and obligatory education, small number of Roma parents still don’t respect them. They are convinced that their children are very young for school and they are deciding when their children can attend schools. Referring to the vaccination, I think than many parents don’t have information about the time-frame for that.
From the report of Denis Redjepovski,
mediator of NRC
