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RNN EXCLUSIVE :
The Roma Center Of Skopje, during the situation in Yugoslavia was concerned with the Roma refugees in our Country.

The Roma Center Of Skopje, during the situation in Yugoslavia was concerned with the Roma refugees in our Country.

Skopje / MACEDONIA ( RNN Correspondent ) April the 5th, 1999
RCS took efforts for helping these refugees and we have managed, till now, to help them in some way. On the first day, we took efforts to find a van and the Caritas National Section-Skopje provided us with a mini-bus. The next step was to go to the Blace border and transportate the refugees to their relatives and friends. At that time, other group, Roma volunteers has begun their search for information about refugee's data.
Till this moment, we managed to find 600 Roma refugees in Skopje, 31 families in Kumanovo, 5 in Kicevo, 32 in Gostivar and their general data were put in the computer.
Our cooperation with The Roma Center of Kumanovo happened to be of a large success, because a lot of the information we have, were brought by the RCK. In general, we may say that the biggest problem at the beginning of our work was to inform the citizens of Macedonia and the world that, apart of the Albanian refugees, there are many Roma refugees, too. We had a meeting with the Roma media in our country and the information about the needed document, all the bureaucratic things and the number of Roma refugees, as well, were shown at the Roma TV stations and told at the Roma radio stations.
The next step was finding the needed help for the refugees. We had meetings with many humanitarian organizations and we were told that the provision of the help would take many days.
After that, we contacted People and groups who were willing to give material support for the refugees. Until now, we have found old clothes(5 bags). The accommodation of the refugees is a big problem, too.
Many of them are settled at their relatives and friends in Macedonia but there are many who have not a place to go. In cooperation with Roma NGO's in Macedonia, we've managed to find not many empty houses and take refugees in. There are many Roma and non-Roma People who are willing to take Roma refugees in their houses, but many of them are still on the streets. For an example, at this moment we are contacting Roma People from Tetovo who can accommodate a Roma family from Urosevac. This family is consisted of 31 People(including 5 babies, 7 children and 10 women). Today, we went to a village called Radusa, where many refugees are accommodated. There are many Roma refugees and their situation is better than the situation of the Roma who are put in tents nearby this village. When we went there many of them were crying for their situation and we were told that they cannot exit this "camp" because there are policemen and army force who are protecting them from others. We could not enter the camp but we managed to talk to the Roma refugee from aside.
All of the refugees who are in our list, said that their fundamental needs are food, clothes, medical care and medications and hygienic materials, as well.

So, please take these information into consideration and help our activities and help these Roma refugees. Any information or potential help would be of a large interest.

Sincerely,
Roma Center of Skopje
Coordinator
Azbija Memedova

Our tel/fax.: ++389 91 61 85 75

Donation Bank Account
Stopanska Banka a.d.Skopje
Broj na smetka:40100-620-42 – 20625
ZPP-Kumanovo- 40900-678-6121
Roma Community Center "DROM"Kumanovo
Lokalitet serava prizemje 7a, 91300 Kumanovo
Tel.fax:++38990127558

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