I did not give up on my goal
“My goal and desire are to involve as many Roma as possible in the work. To show a nice picture of us and, of course, that we have the opportunity to earn decent money.”
The first provision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 states: "All human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights." Help’s mission is needs-based assistance, recognising that all people are equal in their diversity. We are committed to contributing sustainable change in line with our vision, a world in which poverty and social injustice are overcome and everyone can live freely in harmony with the environment and thrive with dignity. Dignity is the right of every person, from birth, to be valued and respected and to be treated ethically. The Roma national minority in Serbia makes up a significant part of the population to which Help has been committed, providing support in improving living conditions through economic empowerment, housing solutions, education and training, as well as emergency relief.
In achieving that vision, Help's efforts to provide comprehensive support to returnees and the socially vulnerable population in Serbia continues in the third phase of the project "Migration Management and Support for the Return of Asylum Seekers".
Until recently, 21-year-old Ivana lived with her parents and grandmother, modestly in one room. A housewife-mom, with primary school, and the father, an antiquarian, who finished high school, provided selfless love and great support to their only child from an early age, especially in acquiring education. Ivana was a regular and exemplary pupil, and her mother has supported her in sports activities. While her parents were raising money for her membership fee in karate, Ivana trained regularly, so the coaches noticed her potential very quickly and often supported them. When she started high school in economics, she became independent and regularly sought the advice and help of a professor. She received the greatest support from the Serbian language teacher, who recognised Ivana's desire to break down prejudices and show that "even Roma, who wants to go to school can progress in life." At the "Europa Diary" competition in 2017, Ivana and two other high school students "Radivoj Uvalić" won the first prize for the multimedia work "O Romale, o chavale" which they created with the desire to contribute to the protection of humans and minority rights, inclusion of Roma national minorities and breaking down prejudices about Roma.
"I am proud to be Roma and I always emphasize that. I wanted to break down prejudices and stand up for Roma rights. My work won and we received a trip for the award. Everyone was proud. I always tried my best to prove that anything is possible whenever you want, whether you have the money or not, or what nationality you are. I never wanted the latest clothes from my parents, I just wanted him to provide me with learning accessories.
For the World Karate Championship, which was held in Moldova, my parents collected money for a long time so that I could leave. They even borrowed it because they believed in me. I went and won the World Cup. When I came back from the competition, I was recording a show for some televisions.
I did not receive any kind of help from the state. I thought I wasn't worthy enough ... But I didn't give up on my goal. I passed for a karate judge and went to competitions on weekends, from which I had a small income. Enough to be able to provide me with some girl's supplies.
I met the guy I currently live with and who is my maximum support in everything. We want to gain something, to work for ourselves ... We opened a pancake house for which no one helped us. Everyone demanded something and set conditions. I was disappointed too. I thought it was all an empty story when they said that Roma should be successful. And what if you become successful ?! All doors closed. But in my search on the internet, I came across Help and a competition. I told them my story. The only ones who listened to me and gave me hope...
My goal and desire are to involve as many Roma as possible in the work. To show a nice picture of us and, of course, that we have the opportunity to earn decent money."
Ivana Radulov
Novi Sad, 16. jun 2021. godine
The world champion in karate, the winner of the first prize in the "European Diary" 2017 competition, Ivana is today a successful management student and a young entrepreneur who continues to achieve her dreams and goals with the little assistance of Help.
Help's project "Migration management and support for the return of asylum seekers III" is being implemented from December 2020 to the end of June 2022 with the support of Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationalle Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH within the "Migration for Development" (PME) program. The program is part of a broader initiative "Back to New Opportunities" by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).