"Our choice" - creating a network of female community companions in disadvantaged Roma communities

The aim of "Our Choice" is to establish a network of women community companions in disadvantaged Roma communities in North-eastern Hungary, cooperating with Somnakuno Drom Association, a local women's CSO with a deep knowledge of the Roma communities in Nagykálló and Nyírmihálydi. The association initiates women's circles and trains community facilitators who can provide local women with general information and individual support on issues such as childbirth, contraception and abortion. The programme involves the participation of Roma community doulas in Alsózsolca, and the implementers are initiating partnerships with the local health institutions and their staff. In addition, awareness-raising campaigns reinforce the core principles and values of the initiative, demonstrating the importance of cooperation and solidarity between Roma and non-Roma women. A study of the pilot project process is carried out so that the model can be replicated elsewhere.