Romania 10 months later - MOVE proves to have a direct and encouraging impact on children!

Project : MOVE 13 May 2009 |

Craiova, Romania: Terre des hommes has just issued the results of the first capitalisation e ver undertaken for the MOVE project, showing how much positive impact the project has had on all the participants – children and adults – and identifying which steps to take next.

The capitalisation process was led by two MOVE experts after 10 months of activities in Romania, through a 2-days workshop with 25 trainers and animators. Children, parents and partners (school directors, authorities, etc.) were interviewed. The aim was to analyse what the best practices and effects were as well as to recommend how to continue the project in the best possible way until it ends in June 2011.

The main outcome of this collective process shows very positive effects on both children and adults involved. Witnesses say they noticed that children learnt how to express their emotions more freely and how to take more responsibility. On a social level, playing together in a non-competitive way, being part of a group and collaborating with one another encouraged the children to better deal with their frustrations and accept members of other communities without discrimination. This particular play pedagogy thus reinforced the integration of Roma children too. The parents also noted differences in their children behaviours. According to one director her school really benefited from this participatory approach:

“This approach develops team spirit, discipline, more opening and mutual aid amongst the children. 100 pupils have been affected by MOVE and are now contaminating their school friends thanks to their positive publicity.”

As far as teachers and animators are concerned, they increased their personal self-esteem and relations with their colleagues thanks to efficient methods of teaching games, which focus on integration rather than exclusion. They were thus able to create new and better bonds with the children. They are very much motivated to go on with MOVE activities in the future!

Thanks to the feedback gathered, Terre des hommes has identified how to improve its actions in the future on three levels:

• Strategically, it should focus more on the involvement of parents and community actors for these to acquire a better ownership of the approach, and on helping the project gain independency from the Foundation;

• Concerning the transfer of competencies, Tdh needs to involve local actors in a broader way and stimulate MOVE trainers and animators through group supervisions, “refresher” trainings with specific modules adapted to their needs and context;
• As for the advocacy level, the Foundation should include local authorities more widely, transferring them the responsibility, as well as organise sport events with stakeholders and media as frequently as possible.

Read the capitalisation document (in French) here (English and Romanian versions will be ready soon)