A young family in Frumuşani. Last year Cristian Buceanu, the only Roma representative on the council, introduced a proposal to allocate approximately 10,000 euro to expand the electicity network to houses in Frumuşani. The other councilors voted against the proposal, alleging that the Roma townspeople do not contribute to the local budget and therefore should not benefit from public funds.
In Frumuşani, the Roma Education Fund, supported by the World Bank and Open Society Foundations, is working to break through barriers local Roma children face when it comes to completing their primary school education.
Nick Glynn is a police officer who has served with the Leicestershire Constabulary for over 20 years. He estimates that he has been stopped over 30 times, mainly while driving. The experience of repeat stop and searches has lead Nick to develop and deliver training courses for police officers on stop and search and its impact.
“Being singled out to be stopped because of your color has a horrible effect on you. It’s like something you want to keep to yourself as well because there’s a bit of embarrassment there, and you don’t want to tell your friends and family about it. It’s upsetting. It keeps you awake at night as you relive the experience.”
How many times have you been stopped and searched by the police? In Europe, the answer to that question is too often determined by the color of your skin. And how does that feel? We all need to know.
Inspired by George Soros’s deep personal commitment to the promise of Europe, Solidarity Now’s message is one of unity rather than charity.
The activities of the Open Society Foundations in Europe focus on bolstering well-entrenched democracies while building up less stable ones, promoting minority inclusion in policymaking, supporting good governance and accountability, advancing education and public health reform, and helping societies adjust to European integration.
Violations of human rights in health care are widespread in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. A series of how-to manuals offers lawyers, patients, and health officials tools for ensuring proper treatment and care for all.
The UN Human Rights Commission has found that a 2004 French ban on religious headcoverings at public schools breached a Sikh student's right to religious freedom.
The director of IDENTOBA, an Open Society grantee working in Georgia, speaks frankly about the barriers faced there by the LGBTQI community.
