The Priority Interventions Program (PIP) is placed in the broader context of the Decade of Social Inclusion and is one of the 4 components of the Social Inclusion Project, a government project financed by a loan from the World Bank. Based on the successful recipes of previous projects, but introducing elements of novelty and innovation, RSDF built the program to maximize the desired impact: promoting an integrative perspective on local development by funding integrated projects and mobilizing local stakeholders.

An integrated project comprises at least two components, from the area of ​​community infrastructure and social services. Thus, a Roma community is put in a position to make more than one choice from the multitude of shortcomings and difficulties they face, also having the possibility to request support for problems that cannot be solved from PIP funds. preparation of projects financed from European funds.

The differences in approaching the issue also imposed some institutional transformations, RSDF adapting its organizational structure by setting up an Office for Relations with Roma Communities.

PIP was intended for the majority of Roma communities, of which 81% from rural areas.

Period: 2007 – 2013

Overall objective: poverty reduction and promotion of social inclusion in 100 very poor Roma communities

Beneficiaries: poor Roma communities

Project value: 17.770 million Euro

Donors:

• BIRD loan
• The Government of Romania

—> Program presentation on World’s Bank website

Documents used in the PIP’s implementation

• Operations Manual of PIP (2011)
• PIP Grant Agreement (2011)
• PIP Procurement Guide (2010)
• PIP Personality Acquisition Procedure (2011)
• List of eligible communities, round 3 PIP (July-September 2011)

Partial results (December 31, 2012):

• 147 communities supported to initiate local projects (facility)
• 133 integrated projects (submitted by mayors, in partnership with community representatives and NGOs including small infrastructure works and social services) approved for funding:
• 35 projects integrated into the implementation
• 98 completed projects
• 370 people (on average 3 representatives of each funded Roma community, representatives of the mayor’s office, and partner NGOs) trained in project management.

—> See the presentation of the projects

The facilitators tell us:

“At the beginning of the facilitation, we encountered some difficulties in mobilizing the community, because they went to agricultural work and in the evening they were preoccupied with taking care of their children and the elderly left at home during the day. We worked hard with community members because they were very poor. Someone said at the beginning of the facilitation: <Many people came to us, photographed us and left without helping us>. Despite all the obstacles, we finally managed to change the mentality among the community of Roma, among local representatives and together we completed what we set out to do”.

 

“People understood that their problems could be solved if they are involved too. They understood that if they are organized they had more influence over the administrative institutions. At every public meeting, they regretted not learning and promised to take their children to school”.