SURVEY WITH ROMA STUDENTS/BENEFICIARIES OF ROMA VERSITAS ALBANIA REGARDING THE EFFECT OF COVID-19

Roma Versitas Albania staff has contacted around sixty-five (65) Roma students/beneficiaries of its program, such as SEC, TES, and RVP. The aim was to conduct a survey and understand how is the new virus (COVID-19) affecting their lives financially and socially. Therefore, to foresee any measure within the possibilities of the RVA to support its students.

The dispersion of our students is as in the chart pie below:

1. Asked if they have access to running water for cleaning, around sixty-two confirmed to have. Whereas two students say, their families go to a public fountain.

Figure 1: Access to running water

2. Regarding the question, how do they manage to access drinkable water? Most of the students, around forty-three, purchase it to the market. Whereas, twenty-one from a public fountain.

Figure 2: Access to drinkable water

3. As per access to electricity, which is a pivotal necessity these days to receive the latest information about the development of the new virus, all the students responded to have access to it.

Figure 3: Access to electricity supply

4. Taking into account that all public and private educational institutions are closed so all people can stay safe in self-quarantine. Internet connection is another crucial necessity as the government has initiated an online platform for education, so mostly the pupils can follow up on the classes and not left behind. On the other hand, Roma Versitas Albania has shifted the mentoring and tutoring online through skype, or video call. Therefore, it was essential to get to know if our students have access to the internet.

Figure 4: Access to internet supply

Most of them, around forty-four (44), confirmed to have access to the internet connection. On the opposite, twenty (20) of them responded not to have such access.

5. Asked if any disinfection measure has been taken in their district and environment around them on the occasion of the new virus, around forty-eight (48) responded no. In contrast, sixteen (16) answered, yes.

Figure 5: Disinfection measure where student live

6. Regarding the economic situation, we asked our beneficiaries if any of the parents is currently working, and how do they manage food supply and necessary items. So, we were interested to first confirm in which sector do their parents work. Currently, most of the employment sectors are closed due to the self-quarantine. The worst effect has received the informal sector, Roma parents cannot access open markets to trade goods, nor can they work in the recycling due to the harsh but necessary measures the government has ruled.

Figure 6: Employment Sector the parents or partner of our student work

Around twenty-seven student says their parents work in the private sector (regular job), another fifteen (15) work in the private sector but seasonally. Moreover, only eleven (11) students responded to their parents’ work in the public sector, most probably in the cleaning sphere. Another five (5) students say their parents work in the informal sector as small traders or recyclers. Lastly, seven (7) students say they depend on economic aid by the state.

7. The government has regulated self-quarantine for all the inhabitants to prevent further spread of the virus to people. Asked how many days our students are in self-quarantine, most of them sixty-four (64) have more than seven (7) days today. Whereas, only one (1) said five (5) days.

Figure 7: Number of days (period) in self-quarantine

8. Our students were asked how they manage such a situation, whether their parents have broken the self-quarantine to work. Most of the students, around thirty-six (36), say none of the parents is currently working. While twenty-eight (28), one of the parents works in the informal sector, probably trading or providing private services as a carpenter during the allowed schedule when people can move to purchase necessities.

Figure 8: How do our students manage economically the current situation

9. RVA was interested to know how do the student assess/measure their current economic situation based on a linear scale from 1 to 5. 1 – Very bad; 2 – bad; 3 – neutral; 4 – good; 5 – very good. 1 and 2 refer to a critical situation where food supply is scarce, and or these families live through the help and donation of relatives or debts at the market. Whereas 3 means that families have resources, savings but which soon are scarce. Finally, 4 and 5, refers to those families that have savings and resources and do not have a problem in the mid or long term. Around thirty-five (35) assess their economic situation as very bad to worse, while twenty-two (22) evaluate it neutrally.

Figure 9: Scale of assessment from 1 to 5 of how do our student evaluate their economic (resources, food supply) situation

Around thirty-four (34) of our students replied either their resources (food supply, and essential items) are finishing very soon, or have already scarce, and even are in critic situation.

Figure 10: How do our students assess their current food resources

10. The last three (3) rows of the diagram indicate the responses of those students who state their resources are scarce, and soon if not already, they will end in a critical situation.

11. Lastly, asked how can RVA support those who are in need. Many of the students suggested receiving the second installment of the scholarships by RMUSP or RVA. Many others asked for food packaged and hygiene package, including baby necessities for those who are young mothers. Also, some of the students raise as a concern and need the disinfection of their neighborhood. Judging also by the graphic chart below, 70% of the student say their areas lack disinfection measures.

Taking into account the responses, and the possibilities or potential Roma Versitas Albania has, we will consider the specific situation of each and every student, and respond accordingly to their need. The core of our intervention is as below:

1. Allocate the second installment of the scholarship to our Secondary and Tertiary students;
2. Support with modest, but necessary food packages and hygiene packages, including supply for babies to the students who are in a critical financial situation, and those who have scarce resources;
3. Advocate to the public authorities to continue with the disinfection of the environment where our Roma student lives;
4. Continue with online tutoring and mentoring as a measure we immediately started since the outbreak of the new virus in Albania. Also, we have mentored our students through video calls since we closed the RVA office for safety and prevention purposes;
5. Support with internet subscription those students who currently do not have access to such a necessity.

Roma Versitas Albania
March 2020