Ramnicu Sarat

General Information
 
ROMACT Cycle: 
Closed
Mayor of the Municipality: 
Sorin Carjan
Contact Person within the Municipality: 
Călin Mihai
Facilitators: 
Calin Iosif
Total population: 
33 843
Source: 
2011 Census
Roma living in the Municipality: 
2 797
Description of the Municipality: 

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Last update 12/10/2016

Râmnicu Sărat is a town in Buzau County, Romania. It is situated roughly 6 km from Ramnicelu, another ROMACT municipality.  According to the 2011 National Census, out of a total population of 33,843 persons, 2,797 declared themselves to be Roma.  However, based on alternative unofficial sources for the municipality, the Roma population in Râmnicu Sărat exceeds 3,500 persons in Râmnicu Sărat alone. There are four additional Roma communities in the municipality which are concentrated in three compact areas (Costieni - cca 700, Zidari - cca 2500, and Barasca - cca 700) and a fourth part spread throughout the city.

Around 30% of the Roma population belong to lăieși group, and the remaining 70% is divided between zidari, cărămidari and spoitori. The different communities bear the names of their traditional occupations - professions which are still practiced today: zidari, traditional mason workers in construction; cărămidari are traditional brick makers; and spoitori traditional tin pot painters. The spoitori  group are the only Roma community who have preserved the use of Romani language.
One of the most important issues of the Râmnicu Sărat Roma community is the lack of property and identification documents (this is a challenge for approximately 25% of the 875 Roma households in the municipality). Some houses were built without construction permits in flood plains which makes them not only impossible to legalise, but also a threat to the safety of their residents. The lack of IDs impacts the ability of Roma citizens to find formal work and also to access health insurance and other social rights. Additionally, infrastructure is lacking in some areas of the municipality, in some areas there is a complete lack of utilities (running water, sewerage systems, electricity, paved roads, public means of transport), this is a problem found particularly in the more compact Roma communities. In terms of health, around 25% of the total Roma population is not covered by the national health care system. There is also a high drop-out rate among Roma children, an issue that the municipality had tried to address through a tutoring programme, which was ended due to lack of funding.

The ROMACT Process

  • With the Mayor’s signature on the Letter of Commitment on the 19th March 2016, Râmnicu Sărat started the ROMACT process. 
    After local elections in June 2016, Mr Sorin Carjan took office as the new mayor of the municipality and renewed the municipal commitment to the ROMACT programme soon after his election.
     
    The Community Action Group (CAG) in Râmnicu Sărat, which started meeting in November 2015, under the guidance of their ROMACT facilitator defined the following short-term and long-term community needs:
     
Short-term prioritiesObjective 1Objective 2Objective 3
InfrastructureRemove the garbage deposits close to the people's homesEnsure cleaning of the public areas, streetsRepair and install public lighting
HousingSolve the issue of lack of property documentsProvide land plots to young Roma families
OtherSolve the issue of lack of identity papers
Long-term prioritiesObjective 1Objective 2Objective 3Objective 4
EmploymentCreating job opportunities in the municipality was another priority for the Roma community
EducationEquip the school with the needed infrastructureAddress poor attendance of Roma children in kindergarten
HealthBuild a medical centreEmploy a health mediator Provide members of the community with access to medical treatmentAddress poor vaccination rate of Roma children
InfrastructureBuild sewarage systemBuild running water networkConnect Roma houses to electricity
  •  
  • The Municipality benefited of ROMACT expertise for the following project:

Inclusive education, OPHC 6.3, School for everybody
Status: rejected

Timeline Points

21 Dec 2015
STEP 1 - BECOMING COMMITTED - Letter of Committment signed by the Mayor
31 Jan 2016
Creation of Taskforce
27 Oct 2016
Joint Action Plan included in the Local Development Strategy
27 Oct 2016
Step 3- Translating priorities into measures- Joint Action Plan for Roma inclusion adopted by City Council
21 Sep 2017
End of ROMACT process
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