Roma Girls Reproductive Justice, Empowerment Post-Romomatter Coalition featuring Baranya Implications of the Post Conference events

17 September 2021

Hosted by the collaboration of Health Leaders Assosciation and the Department of Operational Medicine, School of Medicine, the University of Pécs

The International Romomatter Conference event which was held in a hybrid format mid summer this year was followed by two Post Conference events:  „The Coalition Planning” and „The Coalition Day” co-hosted by the Health Leaders Assosciation and the department of Operational Medicine with colleagues from the WHO Collaboration Center in the city of Pécs, Baranya County Hungary.

The Coalition Days at aimed at bringing together the existing Romomatter Consortia with a wider network of field affiliated experts, community representatives and authorities at the local,regional and international levels featureing amongst all,  the local Roma Community representatives and experts from the Baranya region in order to initiate new rounds of joint grant applications and collaboration starting late Sepetmber and early October 2021.

Non-Romomatter Transdisciplinary Academicians , NGO leaders , Funding experts , local and international Authorities from Bostwana,The Netherlands Amsterdam and Arnhem, Snohomish Seattle, Rural Ohio and Cleveland, Emmerich Germany joined participated in the Coalition Planning and Coalition day events.

The Days attracted attention to the primary importance of the linkages between” Decent Jobs and  Empowerment „ facilitated by Quality Education and development of skills especially enterprenerial skills amongst Roma groups as well as the marginlazed as subjects of the future projects.

The importance of addressing the families and the intergenerational linkages as a topic of empowerment were underlined using international examples. 

The topics of earlier research conducted in Hungary such as the importance of deepening insights regarding the ethnic specific and Roma specific origins of diseases and life -styles especially those induced by poverty and the level of education were presented by Prof. Dr. István Kiss the Director of the Public Health Institute of the School of Medicine. The mentioned was proposed as a subject of  comparative study by the Coaltion.

The subject of international transferrability between international ethnic groups as well the marginalized as a subject of comparative study featured presentations by Citizen Empowerment expert and researcher Mr.Thuso Mphela and Ms.Zsófia Pasztor Sustainability Expert,Founder of the Transgenerational and Transculutural park regarding the similarities between topics of marginalization and culture, early mothehood, empowerment,gender justice and health outcomes amonsgt othe aboriginal tribes communities such as Basawra in Botswana were presented .

Mr. András Nun , Executive Director of the Autonómia Foundation one of the largest Roma expert organizations in Hungary , which dedicated to the topic both locally and internationally discussed areas of Roma specific inclusion  and health expectancy during his keynote „International Best Practices Project in Roma Health, Empowerment and Integrations” building on the earlier discussed areas of collaboration .

The growing importance of the field of Citizen Science taking a bottom approach for empowering citizen through engaging citizens was presented by Prof.Dr.Attila Sik the Director of the Transdisciplinary Discoveries based at the Medical School. The citizen mentoring piolt program and the outcomes were presented . The project’s implications for the Coalition’s future rounds was seen important in terms empowering through reconizing citizen’s ideation and innovation capacities by the acadmemician in order to create inclusive and empowered local ecosystems in a co-creative manner serving  well-being and sustainability

Dr.Timothy Boersamle from the Center for International Business Research (CIBR) of the International School of Business , of the HAN University based in Arnhem the Netherlands proposed led a session on the features of the Inclusive Participatory Action Research method adopted by Romomatter especially in combination with Photo voice and the model can be used in different contexts by the coalition, namely within context of Marginalized Community Health in the Netherlands. Co-creation across levels of educations, Co-Evaluation sisde by side gaps in literacy will receive specific attention .

The final panel of the Coalition Day reflected once again the priority of „Access to Education as a primary determinant of empowerment, inclusion, integration, justice and social participation amongst the Roma community” . The concept of embracing "The Catalytic Transdisciplinary Research for Development Methodology" for Communities of Practice focusing on Inclusion-Integration-Empowerment were included . The Sustainability Goals ( SDGs2030 ) and the Quintuple Helix Governance being sub-themes

Grant opportunities were presented by Dr.Csilla Vincze Director or the Civil Communities’ Center. Representatives of the Mayor of Sellye Rural Baranya hosting the Roma communities and the participants of the Ohio College of Health Sciences led integration program in Ormánság ,rural Baranya expressed the wider participation of the Mayors in the Coalition.

The events were also hosts to Romomatter advisors and members. Led by Prof.Dr.Margaret Greenfields Professor of Community Engagement and Social Policy from the Bucks University proposing a priority attention by the Coalition to experiences and expertise in the UK and colloborations for joint grant applications.

The Coalition Day closed with the joint ratification and emphasis by Assistant Dean Dr. Anca Minescu, of the Limerick University, regarding the establishment of a transdisciplinary and trans-sectoral sub-platform under the FEAMHP the (First European Migration Health Platform) founded jointly by the Health Leaders Association, the Department of Operational Medicine of School of Medicine in Pécs, the Colleges of Health Sciences and People Services in Athens Ohio and Toledo with contributions from the Director of Global Cleveland, participants of the rural Ohio-Pécs colleagues from Case Western Reserve, IOM, University of Amsterdam amongst others.

FEAMHP has embraced the SDGs2030 as a directifor building trans-sectoral and trans-disciplinary partnership