Institute of Romani Culture in Albania

During July 2011 – September  2015 , IRCA has implemented several initiatives which follow.
With support of UNDP, IRCA has been implementing RomVERITAS ( roma truthfulness) project providing career advice and counseling to over 100 Roma students and graduates  with assistance to apply for universities, scholarship, training, academic tutoring, job search as well as training in English.  Several trainings have also been offered to the members of RYP forum in participation in public life.
With support of (Direct Aid Program), Australian Embassy at Rome/Italy, IRCA has implemented the project “Promoting Roma identity and equal access in education in Albania through Roma online radio and volunteer engagement of Roma role models in Albania.”   We launched the online Radio “ Kanxura” who which allows IRCA to reach our Roma community.
With support Swedish Agency SIPU, IRCA has implemented the campaign Police is the public and the Public is Police, aiming at educating both police and Roma community with community policing services and interactions.
Soros Foundation in Albania has been supporting IRCA with trainings and assistance in organizing various advocacy campaigns is support of Roma students, and communities.
With support from the USA Embassy in 2013, IRCA implemented the campaign I am Roma - I am Albanian citizen raising capacities of Roma youth through trainings in administration of election processes as well as decision-making at local level. The project helped for bringing the Roma voice closer to decision-makers at central and local levels.
With the institutional support of the “Foundation of Open Society Institute (FOSI)” Budapest, Hungary, IRCA has mobilized Romani Corps of Volunteers who are voluntary engaging regularly in advocacy actions. Among the major actions implemented by this forum are the peaceful marching in support of Roma families evicted from their settlements, sending of open letters to national and international institutions calling for actions in support of Roma, requesting national library to use the term Roma in its reaching catalog and instead of the pejorative term “cigan”, collection and distribution of textbooks to high school students, etc. Currently FOSI is supporting IRCA to produce a textbook on interculturalism and Roma studies which will serve Masters students of Education Faculty at University “Aleksander Moisiu” in Durres and hopefully also at Faculty of Social Science at University of Tirana.
During these almost four years of existence IRCA has consolidated its institutional capacities adopting the organization’s strategy for 2015-2020 and has strengthened partnership with several non-Roma organizations, and research centers  and universities such as the Institute of Family and Neighborhood Life at Clemson University in the USA,  Peace Corps Volunteers, European University of Tirana center, Institute for Democracy and Mediation while has expanded its network of Roma and non-Roma volunteers.