Mission Statement
“To identify and help the vulnerable people as well as enhance the community spirit of the Rosia Montana people”.
Our social program is addressed to vulnerable members of the community but not only.
It identifies and supports all individuals and families who need support.
The social program tries to improve the living standards of community and indirectly enhance the community spirit, the civic spirit of the members of the community.
- Community Center for the needy Rosia Montana
- Community Center Rosia Montana
- Community Center Corna
- Internet Information Center
- Fitness club Rosia Montana
- Carpenter workshop Rosia Montana
The Social Program
General Description:
Pro Rosia Montana NGO is carrying out a social program called the ”Good Neighbor”, addressed primarily to the vulnerable people of the community however to all residents of the Rosia Montana area also. The community of Rosia Montana is a economic and demographic decline due to the closure of the local state owned mining companies and out-migration of the locals seeking better employment. The main activity of the local people has always been mining-related such that today we find many miners widows living alone, isolated even, because their neighbors moved elsewhere, sometimes without any income.
Over the last decade, Rosia Montana has been characterized by economic decline, environmental degradation, risk of losing cultural identity and a community experiencing sever insecurity. A test for responsible mining is its impact on the local community. These initiatives prove the Pro Rosia Montana NGO’s commitment to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life.
From April 2008, Pro Rosia Montana NGO took over the social program from RMGC. We set up a team comprising 8 people with full time assignment to look after the creation, implementation and development of various social programs aiming to help the local community.
This social program has a fully independent character and it is addressed to all community members needing it. Pro Rosia members are emphatic people with communication skills. This team knocked on people’s doors, entered their houses and established a personal relationship with them.
We identified the families that were to receive Christmas gifts and personally give them these gifts.
We were at the time received with joy but also skepticism. Now, after almost one year, we feel that the people’s attitude has changed significantly.
Target audience:
Vulnerable people are persons affected by one or several of the following criteria: isolation, age, mental or physical disability, low or no income, illness, lack of family bonds. The community however includes members that do not meet this definition, as well as young people and children. Our programs cover them too.
The purpose is for us to have a normal relationship with the community, as members of the community, because the Pro Rosia members are a part of this community. They were born in Rosia Montana and they live here. We help those who need help.
We help 23 families who need our help.
Objectives:
Pro Rosia Montana has been part of Rosia Montana heart and soul for over 7 years. As a good neighbor, we are trying to help the community. The main objective of the program is to identify and help all those who need support and also consolidate the spirit of the Rosia Montana community.
Activities:
Assistance on daily chores: snow shoveling, wood fire cutting, water carrying, maintenance of households, shopping, etc for 23 vulnerable people.
Transport to the neighboring villages in looking after various health, banks, pensions, etc related problems, for all community members requesting it with the coordinator of this program, with RMGC help.
Mobile phones program: 10 mobile phones were provided to community people who are alone, travel with difficulty, are isolated or ill in order to help them communicate with their families, with the coordinator of the program and when needed call the doctor or police/fire brigade. Few families have access to fixed telephone connection. In the beginning we thought that the people needing to keep in touch with the family, the doctor or authorities would normally be old people who would have problems getting used to using a mobile phone. But in the end, all these 10 families use the phones and communicate with us and their family with the phone subscription fees being paid by our NGO in collaboration with RMGC.
Internet Information Center provides the community with a room with six computers and one printer, supervised by a Center manager who gives assistance to those who request it. Between 10 and 20 people / day, mostly young people, come here 5 days a week to navigate on the Internet. Anybody has the right to go there and use the computers or print out certain materials.
The Cultural House for the community is a place where we organize events for the community, such as:”An evening of stories by the fire”, ”Meeting on Women’s Day”. Our purpose is to strengthen the Rosia Montana community spirit, give people the chance to meet up during the long winter evenings, socialize and even learn new things. We are to have further theme meetings, once a week, conferences (on topics such as tourism, personal skills enhancement, etc), contests (the most beautiful folk costume, old mining-related object, the most interesting mining stories and legends), exhibitions, film presentations about other mining regions worldwide, films that were shot at Rosia Montana, etc. During the week days, between 18.00 -22.00 hours, anyone may come and spend time at this center, watch TV, listen to music through headphones, play chess or cards, read magazines, books, etc.
We also organized a similar center in Corna having the same facilities available. Once a week or once a month, we will organize a theme event there too. Someone will come to speak about what it is like in the European Union or other places in the world.
We aim to identify by way of surveys we are undertaking what are the wishes of the local people, what recreational spaces and what type of activities they would like to have in the new village to be constructed at Piatra Alba. We will give these informations to RMGC because the company is the one that can answer the needs of the community and support the people.
Expected results:
The Social Program aims to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life in the community impacted by the Rosia Montana mining project.