What is Sumnal?

Sumnal, which means “World” in the Romani language, was founded in 2004 by one of the few Romani women to pursue graduate studies, Fatma Bajram.

Sumnal educators and young Romani volunteers provide daily educational assistance for students in 1^st-8^th grade.

Children who have either never enrolled in school or who have dropped out have the chance to re-integrate into local schools through a special daily program providing remedial education.

An early intervention program targets children aged 2-6, as well as their mothers, who visit Sumnal daily to assist with their children’s learning and development.

Sumnal organizes local events that raise awareness regarding the importance of education and school registration procedures, as well as allow children and youth to showcase their talents to community members.

Sumnal also organizes cultural events, environmental clean-ups, local outings, sports activities, and other enriching activities – rare opportunities for Romani children and youth.

Students who regularly attend Sumnal experience an average grade point increase of 40%.

When Sumnal opened it’s educational center, there were zero youth from Topaana enrolled in high school.

Today, only a few years later, there are over 70.

-From Sumnal Slideshow, by Jessica Mangskau

Who are the Roma?

September 28, 2009

The Roma, a subgroup of the Romani people who live primarily in Central and Eastern Europe, were formerly known as “Gypsies.”

Romani were forced out of their nomadic lives around the 1700’s and have been persecuted and highly discriminated against for hundreds of years.

Topaana, Macedonia is a predominantly Roma community.

Ten percent of Topaana’s children never enroll in school.

Of those who do, nearly fifty percent will drop out by 5^th grade.

In Topaana the unemployment rate is over 80%

Although their families have lived here for centuries, 30% of Roma in Macedonia do not have citizenship documents – they have no legal identity.

Since their homes do not meet codes of safety, they are denied a legal registered address.

A registered address is a prerequisite for receiving health insurance, social assistance, and to register your child for school.

Without a registered address and legal identity Roma are barred access to education, health services, housing, formal employment, financial services, social security, justice, property rights, legal marriage, and participation in the democratic process.

Nationally, 89% of Roma live in income-based poverty.

Roma children who beg on the streets for their livelihood (“street children”) often do so in busy and dangerous intersections.

Life expectancy of the Roma population in Macedonia is significantly lower than of the general population.

Only 3.7 percent of Roma are aged 65 or above, as compared to 10.4 percent of the overall population.

Around half of Roma in Macedonia live in informal, overcrowded or inadequate housing.

“There are some 15 million Roms dispersed across the world. Their history is one of suffering and misery, but it is also one of the victories of human spirit over the blows of fate.” – Indira Ghandi, Former Prime Minister of India

-A Sumnal slideshow, Jessica Mangskau, adaptation

Why am I running?

As I run in the heart of Skopje, Macedonia, I hear the shrill powerful voice of a Roma man cutting through the air, "Staro! Staro!" Old stuff he wants as he spurs his hor

se on in the sweltering sum

mer heat. His cart either empty or piled high with a rusty washing machine, old tires, or flattened cardboard boxes.

As I run through the city, I see the Roma climbing over the dumpsters, filtering through the mass of pork bones and stale bread for plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, food, anything recyclable, edible or usable. Rigged up motorcycles, hauling bags of bottles bigger than an SUV sputter through the city. At the stoplights the mothers with the babies thrust a hand to a car window while the teens splatter windshields with dirty water and swipe them with a rag.

As I run I pass a father and his toddler napping face-to-face in the grass in a shade-filled

courtyard of a high-rise apartment building. Then one day they aren't there; children play soccer in the grass. Further on at a stoplight I see them, the father begging at the car windows, the

child a sleeping potato sack over his shoulder.

I run along the Vardar River, a fast-moving, trash-filled river. Mallard ducks paddle through rusty oilcans, candy wrappers, skeletons of bicycles. I run past a dumpsite along the river where Roma children "sled" down the piles of rubbish on pieces of cardboard, their hilarious laughter bouncing over the mini-rapids.

I run so these kids can go to school. I run so instead of begging, they are learning.

I run for the Roma.