Our Work
Roma Programme
Main initiatives
The National Roma Infoline
Since its establishment in 2020, the National Roma Infoline has responded to more than 10,000 calls from Roma and service providers around the country. Many of these calls have been made from Roma, who were homeless and had no PPS number or medical card.
Annual Reports on the National Roma Infoline
These videos summarise the activities of the Infoline between 2020 and 2022 and highlight some of the key issues facing the Roma community in Ireland.
National Roma Infoline Report 2021
Roma Infoline – Get In Touch
The National Roma Infoline Operators answer calls in Romani, Romanian, and English.
Open: 9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.
The Operators provide advocacy and support to Roma callers with queries ranging from medical card applications to finding emergency accommodation.
087 126 4606
The Roma Adult Education and Training Programme
The Roma Project has coordinated a number of education programmes for Roma including the Roma Women’s Advocates Project and the Roma Education Programme, both funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY). These programmes have delivered online English language and literacy classes, computer classes, and other topics to more than 30 Roma, many of whom were single parents and/or living in emergency accommodation.
In 2025, Cairde’s Roma Adult Education and Training Programme will build on these foundations to provide further training for 5 Roma Peer Support Workers.
Roma Climate Justice Project with Friends of the Earth Ireland
Since 2023, Friends of the Earth and Cairde have partnered to deliver community education to Roma learners. A key focus of our work was to understand how Roma are experiencing heat and energy poverty and their attitudes towards climate change. Elena Manciu, the Roma Climate Justice Peer Education Officer at Cairde, has led this research.
Our vision is that this research informs policy approaches to develop meaningful support for the Roma community, ensuring they are not left behind in pursuing climate-resilient policies.
Erasmus+ Roma Influencers Network
The international project “Roma Influencers Breaking the Circle of Early Marriages and Early Motherhood in Roma Communities” under the title acronym “Roma Influencers Network” is led by Klimaka-Roma Day Center (Greece), in partnership with Cairde (Ireland), Cesis and Cooperactiva (Portugal), and Sastipen (Romania).
This project derives from the gravity of the harmful practice of early marriages and early motherhood in Roma communities. It is focused on empowering, supporting, protecting and raising awareness of the Roma community, especially women and girls affected by the specific concern, by suggesting ways to change behaviours and attitudes in order to overcome, reduce or eliminate it.
Research
Cairde’s Roma Programme has produced a number of reports on Roma in Ireland, including:
- Proiectos Romano: A study of Roma communities in Balbriggan
- Annual reports on the National Roma Infoline: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- The first research on Roma and climate justice in Ireland (co-authored with Friends of the Earth).
The Roma Programme has co-authored:
- Research on Roma and maternity services that won 3rd place in the ‘Think Global, Act Local’ poster presentation competition at the National Patient Safety Office Conference in 2024. This research was also presented at the National Women and Infants Health Programme Conference 2024.
- Research on Roma attitudes towards vaccines, which was presented at the 18th Annual Vaccine Congress in Lisbon, Portugal.
Health Promotion
Working with the HSE, the Roma Project has coordinated information sessions on immunisations, mental health, women’s health, maternal health and more. It has also created health promotion resources related to these issues.
Policy
Representatives of Cairde’s Roma Programme participate in the following meetings, among others:
- National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy Steering Committee
- National Roma Network
- Roma Health Network
- Traveller and Roma Education Strategy
- A number of European fora and initiatives.
Contact
For more information on Cairde’s Roma Programme, please contact Dr. Marianna Prontera at marianna@cairde.ie
The work of Cairde’s Roma Programme is made possible with support from:
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, HSE Social Inclusion, Erasmus+, and Friends of the Earth.
