Menu
work

When Roma Lead the Way to Prosperity

May 2018 -2 minutes read

A small town in northwest Bulgaria shows that when Roma take the leadership, they can establish a framework for justice, equality and prosperity despite racist prejudices and ever-changing political winds.

[Watch video]

In recent years, many policymakers and NGO leaders have attempted to compile “success stories” demonstrating the results of their work to improve the lives of Roma. Oftentimes, they focus on their own short-term projects. But when you ask Roma communities, they do not see these projects as successes.

For the racist majority, this difference of opinion fuels claims that Roma do not want to integrate. For allies of the Roma movement and for many Roma advocates, meanwhile, it casts doubt and cynicism on whether change can be achieved at all for Roma.

If we want to see success stories, we need to look beyond short-term social assistance projects driven by the agenda of donors, intergovernmental agencies, and practically everyone but the Roma themselves. We need to look at communities where Roma have been relying on their own self-organization to amend local authorities and create equality and prosperity for Roma in the long-term.

Lom, a small town in northwest Bulgaria, is one of these communities. In Lom, the legacy of racism placed an artificial limit upon what Roma could achieve. Roma were marginalized and separated from the rest of the population by a sign which read: “No Gypsies beyond this line.” Roma children were not allowed to go to school; their parents could not find work.

But local Roma leaders pushed back and crossed the segregation line. They advocated relentlessly for authorities to work for Roma as they do for all citizens. Hardworking Roma families built up the rest: children went to school, they found employment or started their own businesses, they built friendships with their non-Roma neighbors.

Today, Roma are thriving in Lom: they are doctors, school principals, entrepreneurs, committed citizens. And their experience shows the remarkable success that can be achieved by ordinary people.

This article was originally published on opensocietyfoundations.org.

Author(s)

Zeljko Jovanovic

President

Share this article
Send

The latest

Read about our work and the issues we are addressing.
A protest against the demolition of homes in the Zanarna Fabrika neighbourhood of Sofia, Bulgaria, in April 2025. Photo: Emil Metodiev
Voices

When Hate Becomes Politics, Violence Moves from the Margins to the Centre

22 September 2025
Charlie Kirk’s assassination in America and the suppression of Roma in Europe expose the same mechanism: when hate is tolerated as politics, violence moves from the margins to the centre.
Alen Jashar and Manuel Halil, Recycling team members collect e-waste in Skopje, North Macedonia on 17 March 2025. Photo: Akos Stiller
Press

Roma Foundation for Europe Warns: New EU Social Agenda Risks Failure Unless It Delivers for Roma Workers and Voters

10 September 2025
President von der Leyen’s State of the Union acknowledged Europe’s social crisis and the need for fair competitiveness—but without Roma economic and political empowerment, both Europe’s economy and democracy will remain incomplete.
Flowers for Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day in Auschwitz
Voices

From “Never Again” to “All Over Again”: How Fascism Became Governance in Today’s Europe

5 August 2025
Every year on 2 August, Roma across Europe mark Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date commemorates the night in 1944 when over 4,300 Roma children, women, and men were murdered in a single evening at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is a day of mourning—but also of warning. “Never again,” we say.

Browse by category

Campaigns

We are on the ground with our network to bring Roma power where it matters.
Campaigns

Events

Information about events from the Roma Foundation for Europe and its network members.
Events

Facts

Briefings, explainers and analyses that explain and highlight complex issues.
Facts

Press

Media coverage of our work, press releases and information for journalists.
Press

Voices

Perspectives, experiences and narratives from the community.
Voices
Offices
BrusselsBerlinBucharestBelgradeSkopje
Sign up for news

Sign up here so you don’t miss out on campaign updates, upcoming events and other news from the Roma Foundation for Europe and our network.

Sign up for our newsletter