On September 20-21, 2014, a training was conducted for the network of Roma social and medical mediators as part of the project “Improving Access of the Roma Population to Medical Services in Tuberculosis Prevention through Roma Medical Mediators,” supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
During the training, the following achievements and challenges were discussed:
Achievements:
- Reduction in the number of tuberculosis cases among the pilot regions of the project.
- Enhanced cooperation between doctors and Roma mediators.
- Improved collaboration with educational and social institutions.
- Development of trust within the Roma community toward Roma mediators, doctors, and local authorities.
- Positive change in attitudes toward improving the social and living conditions of the Roma population.
- Decreased number of Roma without identification documents.
- Enrollment of 1800 Roma children in schools in Mukachevo.
- Acknowledgment of the importance of Roma mediators at the local level and recognition of their work by both communities and local authorities.
- Organized and conducted free screenings of Roma in 8 regions of Ukraine.
- Regular monitoring of living conditions by mediators every six months.
- Collaboration with Social Services Centers (CSSCM) and workgroups involving mediators at the municipal administration level, contributing to solving social and medical issues.
Challenges:
- Distrust of traditional medicine within the Roma community.
- Poverty and lack of funds for medication.
- Discontinuation of treatment.
- Poor housing conditions.
- Discrimination in certain cases.
During the training, plans for the future development of the Roma mediator network, as well as plans for the next quarter, were discussed. The International Charitable Organization “Roma Women’s Fund Chirikli” expressed gratitude to the Global Fund for their support of the project aimed at improving the Roma population’s access to medical services in tuberculosis prevention through Roma medical mediators.
