The mother centre in Provadiya is named “Hope for Provadiya”. It was established by a large group of Roma women of various ages, all of them being housewives. Before the mother centre came into existence, these women had been gathering regularly at their homes and had their informal women’s group in which they shared experiences connected with the raising of their children, family relationships and supported each other in moments of family crisis.
After they came back from an exchange visit to the Bosnian MC, they decided to establish their own MC. There weren’t any highly educated woman among them, with skills for social acivities and contacts outside the Roma quarter. This was very challnging for them as they did not know from where and how to begin.
As we assessed that their motivation to create a MC was strong but ther capacity rather low, Integro elaborated a detailed plan for the support of these women. Intego’s coordinator visited them many times to teach them how to organise common meetings, to take minutes, to make decisions in a group, to make contacts with the local authorities and to advocate for their interests. Following all these preparations and trainings, the women finally gained courage and decided to visit the mayor to acquaint him with their idea and request a premise for the MC. They will never forget this first visit to the municipality, because despite that they followed all the steps for the establishment of a dialogue with the local authorities, the mayor only reluctantly accepted them and listened to them.
Then a period of encapsulating of the group followed. When the women saw that they wouldn’t be able to satisfy Integro’s requirement to ensure a municipal premise by advocacy actions, they stopped calling us and in practice gave up our assistance. Three months later Integro decided to contact them and see whether we could motivate them again to continue their efforts for the establishment of a MC. We were surprised to learn that in fact they have created their MC! After the meeting with the mayor, the women had gathered and decided to have their centre anyway. After lengthy discussions finally they decided to use an empty premise, designed for a garage, of Siyana’s family. They convinced their husbands to help them to refurbish the garage, because it was not painted and it was without a door and windows. After that they gathered old furniture, collected children toys, found a stove, wood and brough all these to the MC. When we looked for them in January 2007, we found them in this garage which they called their MC. They found an old sewing machine and struggled to sew costumes for the children’s party from their old wedding dresses. While we thought that they have lost their motivation for the establishment of a MC, they had in fact been strongly self-motivating themselves and had done their best to realise their ideas. They have established order in the MC; divided responsibilities for its maintenance, they adopted their code of conduct in order to regulate relationships between them. They have visited each house in the Roma quarter to acquaint the people with what they planned to do and to ask for permission the parents to let their children come to the MC. They also attracted two Roma students from their quarter to help the children – one of the students with the dances, and the other one with their lessons.
Initially the other Roma did not have very high opinions about their initiative. Doubts started spreading about their aims, and what they want to obtain for themselves. That is why few children came in the beginning. Over time, however, some began to see that children who visited the mother center, began to take hold better and to understand better their parents.
The Bulgarian neighbours also looked suspiciously at the MC. Siyana told us something interesting: “When we opened the centre in our garage, and we are the only Roma family on this street, the Bulgarian neighbours began to drop by and to ask: “What is this, a Roma school?” and to shake their heads with mistrust. After, when our Roma children began to come here, they were a bit noisy on the street, and the Bulgarian neighbours reprimanded them. In order to win them and not to be afraid of our children, one day we gathered the children and made them clean and sweep the street. The people liked this very much because the grown-ups appreciate such things. Gradually thereafter they started treating the children with sweets and to give them seedlings of flowers to plant in flower pots at home…’
In June 2007, with Integro’s support, the women equipped their centre with a computer, printer, a new sewing machine and a TV set. Slowly and gradually they realise that they have to learn how to use the computer and internet.
Also in June 2007, after long consultations, guidance and support, they succeeded to create their own NGO. They succeeded to include a Bulgarian woman in their Board, a teacher, because they realised that they have to attract also women from other ethnic groups, in order to be able to expand their influence.
With the support of the women from the other MCs and during the practical training in July 2007, they again visited the municipality and represented their MC and organisation. This time they succeeded to reach an agreement with the mayor and to obtain a written concent from him that after a public building is constructed in the Roma quarter, they will receive premises for their MC there.
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