海角大神

When Bert Looij first set foot in the informal Roma settlement at the Pata R芒t dumpsite more than two decades ago, he found deplorable conditions. 鈥淲e saw children bitten by rats on their ears, people sleeping under plastic...,鈥� he says.

There were no real streets. The close proximity of the makeshift homes and shelters meant that, in the event of a fire, many families lost everything 鈥� including in one case an infant left at home while the family had gone out to earn money.

Mr. Looij talks about the site as it is today with a different tone 鈥� one filled with hope.

In the beginning outsiders were hesitant to go into Pata R芒t because they thought the Roma there 鈥渨ill kill us. They will rape us. They will steal from us,鈥� Looij says. 鈥淏ut it is not that way.鈥�

鈥淓verybody calls it a ghetto, but we will make from this ghetto a [residential] district,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd it is happening now.鈥�

As executive director of the , Looij himself is responsible for a good part of the progress so far. Founded in 2003, ProRroma is dedicated to assisting the Roma 鈥� commonly known as Gypsies 鈥� in Romania who have many problems, among them malnutrition, lack of education, and poverty. They are often discriminated against and rejected by mainstream society as well.

Rooted in 海角大神 principles, ProRroma operates throughout Romania, with offices based in Cluj-Napoca, a city of about 300,000 in northwestern Romania. Its work includes offering educational programs and assistance with shelter, medical, food, and hygiene needs.

Looij, who is Dutch, first visited Cluj-Napoca with his wife, Margriet, in 1992, not long after the nation鈥檚 turbulent communist revolution.

They returned to the Netherlands, 鈥渂ut something in my heart鈥� stayed in Romania, he says. It wasn鈥檛 long before the couple decided to move to Romania. They worked for several nonprofit groups there, spending time in Pata R芒t and elsewhere.

With ProRroma, Looij has focused his efforts on Roma settlements just outside Cluj 鈥� slums that stand in stark contrast to the nation鈥檚 second-largest city, which was named the 2015 European Youth Capital.

The four Roma camps 鈥� Dallas, also known as the Pata R芒t district, with roughly 140 families; Costea, with 70; Cantonului, with 200; and the dumpsite itself, with 60 鈥� include an estimated 1,100 children, Looij says. Families living at and around the dump historically had harvested glass or plastic bottles to recycle. But that modest source of income disappeared when the dump closed in 2015.

More than half of those who had worked there were able to find other jobs in the city 鈥� itself a miracle, Looij says, given the negative attitudes toward the Roma.

Courses and tutoring

Central to ProRroma鈥檚 efforts to improve the otherwise bleak prospects of the Roma are its schools and other education programs. More than 115 children attend courses and year-round tutoring at a school in Tinca, Romania, for example, which opened in 2000 with just a dozen pupils. Margriet plays a pivotal role in this work 鈥� teaching on a daily basis.

In Pata R芒t Looij began by working alongside men harvesting bottles, his wife alongside women cleaning them.

Later a bathing program for children was expanded to include recreation, and then classes. Volunteers constructed a multipurpose building with classrooms and a kitchen. Improvements such as roads, sewers, and now nearly completed laundry facilities followed.

ProRroma has rehabbed some 70 percent of the houses at Dallas and expects to complete the rest within two years. Enhancements include improving foundations to keep rats out of the homes.

Looij has also worked relentlessly as an advocate for the Roma with local officials. He鈥檚 now working to make the settlement at Dallas officially recognized 鈥� a designation already extended to the surrounding camps. 鈥淚f they refuse, we will [submit] papers again,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat ground will be accepted as official ground.鈥�

On a recent dreary winter morning, Looij spoke with a reporter as they toured Pata R芒t. Just outside ProRroma鈥檚 multipurpose building, he was immediately put to work 鈥� approached by a woman with a prescription from a doctor. He agreed to pick up her medication later in the day.

Later, as he wove his Volkswagen van through the narrow, uneven passageways, he received smiles and waves from almost everyone he passed, including a young girl who peeked out of the window of her home, tapping on the glass to get his attention.

When asked about the connection he鈥檚 made to the Roma, his answer is simple.

鈥淚 help them because nobody else is helping them,鈥� he says.

A challenge for European countries

A 2006 report from the United Nations Development Program found that Roma in new European Union member countries 鈥渙ften face levels of exclusion and poverty equal to those found in developing countries,鈥� and that addressing the needs of Roma and similar communities 鈥渋s critically important鈥� for cohesion among Southeast European countries.

The year 2015 also closed out 鈥淭he Decade of Roma Inclusion,鈥� a collaboration between European governments and nonprofit groups 鈥渢o eliminate discrimination against Roma and close the unacceptable gaps between Roma and the rest of society.鈥�

Despite some progress in education and health-related policies, however, the modest gains have been rolled back in recent years as anti-Roma sentiments spread 鈥� leading one report to refer to the title of the initiative as 鈥渁 lost decade.鈥�

In spite of this, ProRroma has had successes.

Loredana (who asked that only her first name be used) is a testament to that. She joined ProRroma six years ago and works with children in various classes. Having lived with her family in a Roma camp for more than 10 years, she is well aware of the challenges.

鈥淲hen the children are learning, they learn to follow good examples,鈥� she says. 鈥淓verything they need is supplied, without [them] having to pay.鈥�

Inspired by her work with ProRroma, she is pursuing her high school diploma.

One member of the small ProRroma staff, Janos Guzman, has known Looij for 20 years. Orphaned at the age of 7, he found himself living on the streets at 19.

Meeting Looij was a pivotal moment for him, he says, and the pair has done much together. 鈥淲e do complement each other,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e is the guy with the vision, and I am the guy to put the vision in place.鈥�

Looij has made a profound difference in his life, Mr. Guzman says, and in the lives of those living in Pata R芒t and the surrounding camps.

鈥淭hey were living in cartons, sheds, and plastic, and [now] they live a little more like humans,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e is the one who brings the support. He uses his relationships with friends to get people involved.鈥�

ProRroma, with only a three-person board, still has ambitious goals. Now others must join the cause to take the work even further, Looij says. 鈥淚 have shown it is possible. It is happening. I see more people involved.鈥�

Looij, a deeply religious 海角大神 who is known as 鈥淧astor Bert鈥� among some in the camp because of his spiritual counseling and education work, attributes the success so far to divine guidance in their efforts.

鈥淚 am not a hero, but I have a hero in me,鈥� he says.

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