Crnogorski Telekom, in cooperation with the organization Help, provided mobile phones with Internet for 34 mediators who help citizens of the Roma-Egyptian (RE) population in 11 Montenegrin municipalities to easily exercise their rights. The partnership between the German organization Help and Crnogorski Telekom is worth more than 11,000 euros.
Dušan Banović, Director of the Service Development and Digital Transformation Sector at Crnogorski Telekom, stated that by supporting the project ‘Social Inclusion of Roma Men and Women and Egyptians with the Mediation of Inclusion Associates’, Telekom continues its successful cooperation with Help, which started two years ago.
“At that time, in cooperation with the organization Help, we provided over 100 smartphones with mobile internet for RE children. Objective was to enable the children to follow classes from home on an equal footing and participate in the ‘Learn at Home’ program. The organization Help has proved to be a truly reliable partner, which sets realistic goals, and one of them is the social inclusion of vulnerable groups through digital inclusion”, Banović pointed out.
As he explained, the cooperation is expanding to RE mediators, who work in public Institutions in several Montenegrin cities.
“This time, together with the organization Help, we provided 34 smartphones with accessible services so that everyone could perform work tasks equally. An inclusive society is one that gives everyone an equal chance and that is why we believe that digital inclusion enables vulnerable groups to integrate much easier into society. So we will continue to be a good example of how to approach and solve the problem, in the right and responsible way”, Banović said.
The regional coordinator of the Help organization, Klaus Mock, thanked Crnogorski Telekom for their support and pointed out that the telephones received by the mediators are their most important tool to work and keep in touch with members of the RE community and Institutions.
“This is not the first time we have received support from Telekom. It means a lot to us and this is a great example of socially responsible action of a large company and we would like others to follow”, said Mock.
Dijamant Pajazitaj, Associate for Social Inclusion of Roma and Egyptians, thanked the European Union, the Government of Montenegro, Help and all partners implementing the project who gave a chance to Roma and Egyptians to help their community, and to improve the position of RE population in Montenegro.
“Mobile devices will facilitate our communication and give us new opportunities to share experiences with other colleagues and representatives of Institutions”, Pajazitaj said.
The mediator for Social protection and inclusion in the Help organization, Mihaela Čađenović, is also pleased that Telekom has once again shown how important it is to respect human rights and to integrate them into society.
“It’s one of the ways to European integration, and Internet, telephones and fast flow of information, build a window into the world and enable us to function better, work, learn and create a better society together”, Čađenović pointed out.
A total of 34 mediators support the citizens of the Roma-Egyptian (RE) population to more easily exercise their rights in the field of employment, health and social care in 11 Montenegrin municipalities. This is a joint project of the European Union and the Government of Montenegro ‘Social inclusion of Roma Men and Women and Egyptians with the Mediation of Inclusion Associates’ which is implemented within the EU-Montenegro Program for Employment, Education and Social Protection.
The project is implemented by Help, which is also the employer of the mediators – in partnership with the municipalities of Podgorica, Ulcinj and Berane.
The overall goal is that the state to recognizes the importance of RE mediators and institutionalizes the mediators’ work.
