Fundación Punjab

Management and organization chart.

   The ARCO IRIS project is a socio-educational intervention project that will be coordinated by the Social Services of the Town Council of Castellón, by the Provincial Council of Castellón and by the Punjab Foundation. This function of coordination will develop through a network of support formed by Administrations, Institutions and NGOs. The Arco Iris Project will count on the active cooperation of educational Administrations and Jaime I University, through the Opre Roma Project, and the Department of Philosophy and Sociology. Moreover, the technical team of the Gypsy Association of Castellón will closely collaborate with the Arco Iris project which will benefit from the created social networks and the synergy of other intervention projects developed by this city. Other projects, entities and voluntary groups will collaborate at different phases.

Description

The first suggestion of the project “By Right” had an interdisciplinary objective, focusing mainly on social, educational and juridical assistance and attention of gypsy women prisoners’ families in the prison centers of the Valencian Community.

However, the experience after several years of development of the Project led to revise the original objectives of the latter, objectives which were exceeded by the needs of the gypsy collective of Castellón, unable to refuse the assistance to topics not included in the initial objective of the Project, because their problems constituted situations of real necessity.

To manage this, it was indispensable to adapt the objectives to the real situation which changed along its execution, and once the service was strengthened, it was more obvious.

With an eye to the important number of requests concerning the assistance and juridical information that continued to arrive to the Punjab Foundation, since the beginning of 2006, the fields of execution of the project have increased:

Description

The building with public accommodation of Santa Cruz de Tenerife street is a public-owned building with 35 flats, whose great majority is occupied by families belonging to the gypsy ethnic group.

In 2006, the Ministry of Land and Housing intervenes through the Valencian Institute of Housing (IVVSA), in order to “reactivate and normalize this area of the city of Castellón”.

First, we decide to move families to other town accommodations facilities and other flats obtained through IVVSA, waiting to suggest them one of the houses of the public park of the Generalitat.

At the present time, most of the families found themselves placed definitively and a few of them are still waiting for a final rehousing.

Description

This
collaboration between both institutions becomes a reality with the
incorporation of an intercultural mediator to the AMICS team, trained
in the « Intercultures » Working Group.

Her participation will
allow developing this project, increasing the actions designed for
gypsy families and introducing the cultural perspective between all the
collectives in order to encourage the coexistence.

The ARPUJAR
project goes by the need to develop actions of cultural mediation by
introducing the cultural perspective of gypsy ethnic groups and thus by
promoting the sociocultural integration of this collective.

For
two decades, Spain has continued to receive a foreign population of and
those last five years, Spain has become the EU country whose immigrant
population is the most important.

Discrimination is a phenomenon
frequently undergone by immigrants and gypsies, who are viewed from the
perspective of stereotypes and who are negatively prejudiced against.