Help will continue its support for Ukrainian refugees in Montenegro, among other things, by providing language classes in Budva and Podgorica in the next six months.
The project “Supporting the integration of vulnerable communities in Montenegro via language classes” will include also the Roma and Egyptian (RE) population. The funding for this project in the amount of Euro 18.900 was provided by the Belgian King Baudouin Foundation.
Already within its first project to support Ukrainian refugees Help and the Ukrainian refugee organization „Good deed“ had identified that the learning of the Montenegrin language is one of the important segments for easier coping and adaptation to the new environment.
Huge interest in language learning was expressed by children, many of whom continued their education in Montenegro, as well as adults, for whom knowledge of the language will alleviate everyday communication and eventual job search.
Knowing the local language used by the majority population is a crucial prerequisite for a successful integration. It helps with communication in everyday life and enables access to quality jobs. It is exactly for this reason that Ukrainian refugees in Montenegro have named Montenegrin language courses as one of the top 3 priority needs.
The Roma and Egyptian communities in Montenegro whose mother tongues is Romani or Albanian face similar problems. Roma and Egyptian children often drop-out from the education system or finish their education being functional analphabets and as grown-ups have limited chance for a proper employment. The provision of language courses will help these 2 groups to overcome the language barriers and more easily integrate into the Montenegrin society
According to the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), about 9,000 people, who fled from the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which began on February 24, are currently residing in Montenegro. Most of them are located on the Montenegrin coast and in Podgorica. Language classes will be organized in Budva and the capital Podgorica.
In addition to supporting Ukrainian refugees, this project also provides language classes for members of the RE population.
For 23 years since Help has been operating in Montenegro, support for Roma and Egyptians has been constant, because they are one of the most threatened and discriminated community in Montenegro. We supported RE communities through different segments of assistance, with the goal is to get out of poverty, achieved economically and social empowerment and equal inclusion in social flows.
At the core of these efforts is education, as the key to improving the social and economic position of the RE population, especially young people and women, therefore, as part of this project, language classes will also be organized for the RE community for six months.
