Press News: Completion of 12 Minimum Standard Apartments Construction in Moldava nad Bodvou
Moldava nad Bodvou, November 9, 2009
The dedication of 12 minimum standard apartments in Moldava nad Bodvou took place on the threshold of the European Year of Combating Poverty EY 2010. The construction was initiated by the non-profit organization ETP Moldava Housing established by the City of Moldava nad Bodvou and non-profit organization ETP Slovakia.
GV Program ![]()
During a four day stay, Sept. 1 - 5, a group of 14 volunteers of International school in Prague was assisting in finishing the construction work of the 12 minimum standard apartments in Moldava nad Bodvou. Young men and women were painting the facades and place concrete for the sidewalks along the newly constructed apartments.

Project "Community Bridge Buliding in Central and Eastern Slovakia" is supported by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway grants, EEA Financial Meachanism and Norwegian Financila Mechanism
Duration: August 2009 – April 2011
Generational poverty in Slovakia is one of the most serious challenges facing the country, where social exclusion is from participation in decision-making, employment and material resources, and from integration into the broader community. People, especially minority groups, (Roma) often experience a combination of inadequate housing, limited access to social services and utilities, geographic isolation which, coupled with a low level of education, a high school drop-out rate and high unemployment, leads to poverty. On average unemployment for Roma is 72% but can be as high as 100% among Roma it is approximately 10%, regionally in Central and Eastern Slovakia 20%. Educational and social needs are huge, with an almost complete dependency on social benefits. There is little chance for Roma and some non-Roma families to escape from such generational poverty.
Traditional solutions are doomed to failure. New approaches are required which treat people not just victims but as participants and problem solvers with local accountability and who are responsible towards themselves, their family and community.
Public procurement of the services within the project .....
17.8.2009 VACANCIES within the project: Community Bridge Building in Eastern and Central Slovakia
SLOVAK RADIO
3-Letter Story - Part 2

Lýdia Mrázová, cp 28. 07. 2009, 11:40
Our 3-letter story about the civic association ETP continues in Cakov today. It is a scenic decent village with 89% of Roma population and you can hardly find it in any map. Micro-loans are one of the activities of this civic association. what can they possibly be used for? Lýdia Mrázová has been asking the inhabitants of the Roma settlement that does not look like settlement at all. The Roma mayor of Cakov - štefan Bari accompanied her.
3-Letter Story - Part 3

Lýdia Mrázová, cp 29. 07. 2009, 11:40
We have been talking about the civic association ETP this week, which has bee awarded Gypsy Spirit Award. We visited the Roma village of Cakov yesterday and we also visited the home of an older Roma family, who would like to have a bathroom at home. We will visit the village of Šimonovce today. The Roma population in Šimonovce is 53%. Some of them have already used the loan to construct the bathroom in their dwelling. Community social worker Ernest Lakatoš is accompaining Lýdia Mrázová.
3-Letter Story - Part 4

Lýdia Mrázová, cp 30. 07. 2009, 11:40
The civic association with only three letters in its name - ETP has 10 years of experience with Roma communities. It has also been awarded Gypsy Spirit Award. The goal of ETP is to gradually build human, social and economic capacity in disadvantaged Roma communities and help them to become self-sufficient. These Roma start to understand that it is necessary for them to help themselves otherwise no one else will be willing to help them. Today, we will take a closer look on how the Roma in Hodejov use their micro-loans.
3-Letter Story - Part 5

Lýdia Mrázová, cp 31. 07. 2009, 11:40
We are mapping out the activities of ETP in the Roma community. The main focus of their work is provision of 0-interest microloans. Last year they implemented a project in cooperation with International Organization for Migration within Roma Humanitarian Assistance Program. This program was focused on the Roma born before 1945. As you may know the Roma have been the victims of holocaust as well. ETP was supposed to identify these people, their situation and their needs as they are of odler age. After this survey they were provided with what they needed the most. The author of this week´s story Lýdia Mrázová has seen it with her own eyes.
Three months after launching of the construction of the 12 minimum standard apartments, on Friday and Saturaday June 19 – 20, 2009 in Moldava nad Bodvou 18 volunteers from Whirlpool Company in Poprad helped install the insulation on the shell construction.

April 27 - May 7, 2009 a training took place in Čingov for future community social workers - future lecturers of the unemployed in 12 municipalities in Central and Eastern Slovakia.
Unique and innovative training CrossRoads - personality development and "back to work" program has been developed in USA by Dovetail Consulting for the long-term unemployed.
During the training the unemployed learn that dependence on welfare cannot solve their problems in life. The students learn to develop their emotional intelligence using it to improve their life. The CrossRoads enable the unemployed students to discover new ways to find and maintain job, resolve conflicts and offer them with new motivation strategies.
The CrossRoads program uses true stories, wisdom and humor and teaches the students to not be afraid of change. This program shows the students where they might be stuck and reveals the need to keep going thus helping them move forward and leave something valuable behind for those to come.
The course is aimed at the long-term unemployed, people who often find themselves in hard situations, where it is impossible to suceed due to lack of understanding of family, relationships and circumstances, they were born in, as well as lack of education, developmental diorders and negative attitudes.
This trainig was organized by ETP Slovakia - Centre for Sustainable development and was financially supported by US Embassy in Slovakia, British Embassy in Slovakia, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.


April 16, 2009 - Gypsy Spirit Award 2009
Gypsy Spirit Award has been awarded on April 16, 2009 to all those who help improve the situation of the Roma in Slovakia.
Winners of Gypsy Spirit 2009

1. NGO Award for implementation of specific project focused on support and development of the Roma minority and the results achieved.
ETP Slovakia - for complex and highly specialised and authentic work and services for disadvantaged and marginalised groups of inhabitants and the fight against poverty and social exclusion in Slovakia – in certain regards concerning the Roma in segregated settlements. For applying the concept of social mobilisation which provides motivation towards mutual assistance and support, specifically regarding the creation and co-creation of temporary employment opportunities and full time positions.

Press news (21. 3. 2009):
New apartments for the Roma
Twelve minimum standard apartments for the Roma families will be built in Moldava nad Bodvou. The future tenants will participate in the construction.
KOŠICE. One year after establishig the non-profit organization ETP Moldava Housing that was established by non-profit organization ETP Slovakia the cornerstone of the construction was laid yesterday by the city mayor István Zachariáš, director of Košice region municipal office Rozália Múdra and the director of ETP Slovakia Slávka Mačáková.
"The first tenants should be able to move in by the end of this year. We were searching for families in need and are capable of saving money for certain period of time. We focused on the families living in shacks and we gradually chose those, who wanted to improve their life and were willing to save money," the Mayor of Moldava István Zachariáš told us.
The Ministry of Construction and Regional Development provided the financial resources of 202,000 EUR (6,000,000 Sk), that is 80 % of the total budget. The city provided remaining 55,000 EUR (1,600,000 Sk).
This project is very specific as it is the first time for a non-profit organization to obtain this amount of money. "We would like to continue in similar projects, however we would like to focus on education in various crafts as well as enviroment."
The future tenants will be saving monthly from March, 2008 for their home facilities. They will be provided a bonus match funding equal to the amount on their saving account the is provided by Open Society Institute. These apartments will be built next to similar ones that were finished two years ago. Their appearance, however, can be confusing.
"We have to teach them to set, follow and value the priorities in their life. They cannot live in perspective of "day to day" survival. There are families that are taking care of their housing, however not all of them. Some of their homes are nice and furnished."
The size of the apartments will be 40 m2. The apartments will have basic facilities, toilet and cold water: "The tenants can buy boiler if they want hot water," added the mayor.
The tenants will be paying the rent in the amount of 13 EUR per month.
Workshop with Ruby PAYNE - Bridges Out of Poverty
ETP Slovakia, in cooperation with its partners, organized workshop Bridges Out of Poverty that was lead by sociologist, consultant and lecturer on generational poverty Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D. The workshop took place on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 in Technical University auditorium in Košice.
The introduction was made by Slávka Mačáková (ETP Slovakia - Centre for Sustainable Development) and after the lecture of Ruby Payne, there was a discussion about Implementation possibilities in Slovakia, which was lead by Pavel Hanšut (Association for social reform).

Program:
9.00 – 10.00 Registration of the participants
10.00 – 10.10 Introduction Slávka Mačáková
10.10 – 11.10 Bridges Out of Poverty, part I. Ruby Payne
11.10 – 11.30 Break
11.30 – 12.30 Bridges Out of Poverty, part II. Ruby Payne
12.30 – 13.00 Implementation possibilities in Slovakia,
discussion Pavel Hanšut
13.00 – 14.00 Press conference (for the invited guest)

Who is Ruby Payne?
Counsellor and author, who was the first one to describe different approach and attitude of different social groups to love, work, education and social change. She has published over 30 books. The first one A Framework for Understanding Poverty over 1,000,000 books were sold. in the book Crossing the Tracks for Love, she is talking about 10 personal skills to overcome poverty.
In the book Bridges Out of Poverty she talks about understanding hidden rules of community, diagnostics of social problems and searching for solutions. With the approval of Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D., various passages of her books were quoted in monthly reports of Association for social reform that can be found on www.socreform.sk.
Press news:
Award 2009

ETP Slovakia for
implementation of
specific project
focused on support
and development
of the Roma minority
and the results achieved.

