Roma entrepreneurship in Romania. Research and advocacy for setting up a financial instrument facilitating access of small Roma entrepreneurs and social businesses in Romania to micro-credits
Period of implementation: July 2014 – July 2015
To this point, experience has proven that the best way to empower a vulnerable and discriminated community is to facilitate its development from within, through entrepreneurship. The current project, implemented by Romanian Center for European Policies and Policy Center for Roma and Minorities Foundation, aims at assessing the situation of small Roma entrepreneurs and Roma social economy enterprises in Romania from the point of view of their financing necessities and to advocate for the creation of a financial instrument to streamline their access to adequate financing sources – micro credits.
The profiles of a wide array of Roma entrepreneurs which have contracted (micro)loans in 15 economically active Roma communities in Romania will be created, emphasizing their financial standing, access to capital, future financing necessities forecast. The respective data will be corroborated with good practices and the opportunities opened by different EU schemes, all of which will result in policy recommendations for the Romanian government. The stories behind the figures will be presented in a special issue of one of the most important socio-cultural magazines in Romania.
Donor: Open Society Institute