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"Romano Kher" translates as 'Romani home'. This term sums up the main purpose of our organization which is to further
the integration of segregated Roma (Gypsies) by helping them become responsible homeowners in mainstream communities from
which they have so far been excluded. Set up in the spring of 2005, Romano Kher operates in the Presov region of eastern Slovakia.
Here we have initiated a program in the village of Svinia - an ethnically mixed community which exemplifies the marginality
of Roma in much of contemporary Europe.
It was in Svinia that a comprehensive community development program (the 'Svinia Project'), funded by the Canadian government
and numerous NGOs, laid the foundation for a dramatic improvement in the living conditions of local Roma - see www.roma.sk.
But in spite of political and financial support provided by the European Union and the Slovak government, this undertaking
failed to attain its full objectives due to overwhelming resistance from local White villagers. As a result, virtually all
of Svinia's Roma remain confined to a barely habitable ghetto on the outskirts of the village.
Romano Kher continues the work of the Svinia Project in the realm of housing. The emphasis on housing resulted from the
recognition - attained through extensive research and community involvement - that social integration in Svinia and similar
communities cannot be achieved without the breakdown of physical barriers which exclude the Roma from White neighbourhoods.
Although Slovakia officially adheres to the European Union's progressive human rights legislation, tens of thousands of the
country's Roma live in conditions which profoundly challenge our notions of modern Europe. Running water, electricity, proper
waste disposal, adequate living space and legal home ownership are luxuries that most Roma can only dream of.
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