Sultan Beca: Helping the community is priceless

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Thursday, 18 June 2020 13:02

One of the most important links as it is necessary to fulfill the chain of tasks in the field of education is the mediator. The one assigned this very demanding role provides support to children, parents, and teachers. He cooperates, talks, actively influences, balances, and „jumps in“ when it is needed most.

In this demanding job, someone you can rely on is Sultan Beca from Berane. He is a facilitator in the ROMACTED programme for the Berane Municipality, and an associate in the field of social inclusion in education. At the Elementary School Radomir Mitrovic, he and his colleague Petrit Amurllahu take care of 140 children. The goal is that elementary school students stay in school, attend classes regularly, and continue their education. Beća lives in the settlement Riverside, which shares its name with the famous city of California. Besides the name, they have something else in common – population density. It's just that Riverside in Berane, unlike the one in America, doesn't have such good tempting conditions. We talked with Sultan about the opportunities for the RE community in Berane, the housing, the health field that needs special attention, and the current situation of the RE community in the field of education in the Riverside and Talum settlements.

How is he coping? This humble and dedicated young man, who does not stop doing good deeds, told us is the burden too heavy and what are the ways for RE children and adults to break free and show their full potential. The information he presented to us is worrying.

You’re one of the new facilitators in the ROMACTED, a joint programme between the European Union, Council of Europe, and a partner organization NGO Young Roma. The project is in its final phase. How did you take part in it?

BECA: Since I`m a community activist and I cooperated with NGO Young Roma, they encouraged me to join and become a member of the ROMACTED programme as a facilitator.

Although you have been part of the Programme since February, you have participated in many actions and campaigns aimed at improving the position of the Roma community. List some that have left the strongest impressions on you.

BECA: I will mention the action of cleaning and paving the Riverside settlement. A clean-up action was necessary, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Action has been organized in the way that we animated local people from the community and the decision has been made. We contacted Utility Company which provided us with support in mechanization. The participation response was excellent, as in previous periods. The locals accepted that and did their best to help.

Through the ROMACTED programme in the Municipality of Berane, funds were earmarked for the equipping premises for the needs of mediators in elementary school Radomir Mitrović, worth 1.500 Euros. Is it easier to work after this valuable donation? Tell us a little more about it. Compare work before and after the donation.

BECA: The initiative was also supported by 50 parents from the Roma community. This help was important to us, especially at a time when there were no regular classes when children were learning from home. The work on making reports, communication with teachers and students has been improved. It’s nice to have your own space where you can carefully plan and perform tasks. We got two laptops, a multifunction printer, and furniture.

What are the key problems in the Talum settlement and how should they be solved and with whom?

BECA: The key problem is employment, and the biggest is schooling as there are a lot of the uneducated people in Talum. No one completed primary education in that settlement, since 2010, many have attended primary school, but have not managed to finish the ninth grade and do not have completed primary education. Apart from me, my colleague Petrit Amurhllahu and two other guys who do not live in Montenegro, have completed high school in the last ten years, with Petrit and I being from Riverside, where the situation is different. There, a lot of people finish primary school but don't go ahead with their education. This year we had 11-12 students who have finished primary school and who, with the support of the NGO Young Roma, will continue their education and enroll in high school with the help of mediators and mentors as well as ours.

How do you see the perspective for the progress of the Roma community in Berane? Is progress in the field of education, health, housing possible in the near future?

BECA: As far as education is concerned, it is going well, of course with the associates and mentors of the school, who also have the support of the NGO Young Roma. I hope that there will be good results in the field of education. The field of health care is always a problem because there are no associates. The housing issue in Riverside is every day bigger and bigger problem. The aggravating circumstance is the humidity caused by frequent floods. It has been 12 years since the residents got the barracks, and due to weather disasters, they are in poor condition.

You are a contributor in the field of social inclusion in education, so you take care of 70 children in the Elementary School Radomir Mitrović. Is the number of children too large? What challenges do you face in your work? Does it happen that you can't achieve everything because taking care of 70 children is not easy? 

BECA:  I take care of 70 kids at school and I am very proud to be doing this job. However, I am not the only one working as an associate in social inclusion in the field of education. There is also my colleague Petrit Amurllahu with whom I do this work. Together we take care of 140 children. Our goal is, for as many children as possible, to complete primary education and to continue high school. Working with children isn’t so hard, but with parents, it’s a little difficult. When it comes to contributing to the community and improving the position of the Roma, it’s not hard for me. That vision is an added relief to me and I don’t feel tired.

The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union and the Council of Europe