REF Romania Continues Support for Roma Refugee Children with UNHCR Assistance
Roma Education Fund Romania announces the continuation of activities at the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) Center dedicated to Roma refugees from Ukraine. The new phase of implementation is made possible through the financial support of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – UNHCR, building on the foundation laid when the center was first established in Bucharest in 2023 with initial financing from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB).
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, many Roma refugee families arriving in Romania have encountered language barriers, interrupted education, and significant challenges integrating into Romanian educational and social systems. The OSS Center was created as a direct response to these compounding difficulties, an integrated support space designed to deliver both immediate humanitarian assistance and long-term pathways to educational inclusion.
By the end of 2025, the OSS Center had already achieved significant results, supporting more than 300 children and assisting over 100 families through an integrated package of educational and social inclusion services. Throughout the implementation period, the center organized more than 1,500 counselling sessions and delivered approximately 7,000 educational activities, while also engaging over 250 children in summer camps and enrolling more than 100 children in IT and digital skills courses designed to strengthen digital literacy and access to future educational opportunities.
“What has been most meaningful for us is that both the children and the educators who were involved in the Center until the end of 2025 chose to remain connected to this space voluntarily. The children felt a strong need to see one another, to belong, and to continue learning and growing together. They consistently returned to the Center because it had become a place of safety, trust, and shared experiences. The continuation of the project in 2026 comes at a crucial and very timely moment, as the children increasingly see the Center as their second home, a place where they feel supported, valued, and encouraged to develop academically, emotionally, and socially” – Ioana Dorneanu, national coordinator of the Complementary Education Centers.
Through the continuation of the project in 2026, refugee children will continue to benefit from Romanian language classes, digital skills and IT education, academic support and homework assistance, as well as creative workshops and non-formal educational activities designed to encourage participation, learning, and self-expression. The program will also include socio-emotional development sessions and community integration activities aimed at strengthening wellbeing, confidence, social connection, and the children’s ability to navigate their new educational and social environment.
The program also includes the provision of educational materials and operational support necessary to maintain the OSS Center as a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for refugee children and their families. Digital skills courses are continuing in partnership with Accenture Romania, contributing to reducing the digital divide affecting refugee children and expanding access to modern educational opportunities, digital literacy, and future-oriented skills.
By the end of the nine-month implementation period, the project aims to improve Romanian language proficiency, school participation and performance, digital competencies, socio-emotional wellbeing, and the broader social integration of Roma refugee children into the local community.
Roma Education Fund remains committed to ensuring equal access to education, protection, participation, and inclusion for vulnerable refugee children affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
