Roma Youth Organization "Walk with Us — Phiren amenca"

The non-governmental organization "Walk with Us – Phiren Amenca" was founded in 2014 in Podgorica, with the aim of empowering young Roma and Egyptians for active participation in the social life of Montenegro. Our mission is to create a healthy society of equal opportunities where there is no discrimination. We want young people from the RE community to have access to education, employment, and for their identity and rich cultural and historical heritage to be respected. Through numerous projects and initiatives, Phiren Amenca focuses on strengthening the capacities of young Roma for democratic participation in social life, strengthening institutions on these issues, monitoring legislative initiatives related to the Roma and Egyptian population, and of course combating and eliminating negative attitudes and ethnic prejudices towards the RE community. The organization has managed to accomplish a lot and help Roma, especially young people who should, full of confidence, step into the world of education and freedom. The projects are of various content, from the legalization of informal structures for Roma families in Podgorica, employment of young Roma women, to campaigns and performances that have depicted the sufferings of Roma through history through art, which is often forgotten in our society. Phiren Amenca actively cooperates with domestic and international partners, including the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights with which it has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, aimed at improving the position of the RE community through education, employment, health care, but also the legal status that causes concern for many in Montenegro. Our organization is dedicated to fighting against the marginalization and discrimination of Roma and Egyptians. We promote inclusion, equality, and respect for human rights through education, advocacy, concrete actions on the ground, and we believe that these issues do not concern only the RE community, but Montenegrin society as a whole. That is why we want to change the world together!