The award ceremony, October 2023 (Photo: Petr Zewlakk Vrabec)
The scholarship program, designed to support young Roma students whose education is at risk due to their families' financial difficulties, has been running since 2016. Including this year’s recipients, the program has supported 350 Roma students and distributed nearly 12 million CZK.
“Since 2016, we’ve awarded 605 scholarships. Today, we’re adding another 101, which is the highest number of scholarships in a single year,” says Zdeněk Ryšavý, director of the ROMEA organization.
This year, 66 high school students will each receive a 15,000 CZK scholarship. Five vocational school students will receive 21,000 CZK each, while 30 university students will be granted 26,000 CZK. These students come from all regions and pursue diverse fields such as IT, medicine, technical disciplines, and social sciences.
Beyond financial support, the program offers a comprehensive support framework, offering mentoring, educational activities, and professional opportunities for Roma students.
Starting this year, the IOCB Tech Foundation is contributing 500,000 CZK annually to the program.
“We’re thrilled that, compared to previous years, the number of scholarship recipients has significantly increased. This makes it easier for students from financially disadvantaged families to access support. That’s exactly why we decided to join this much-needed initiative,” says Dušan Brinzanik, the foundation’s director.