The Concept

   Roma in Hungary have long been living on the margins of society, a fact that, mostly, prevents them from obtaining higher education. Illiteracy is quite widespread among young Roma mothers, the vast majority of whom drop out of school at a young age and do not receive much encouragement nor any experience of success during the few years they spend at school. As a result, they do not acquire the basic skills of reading, and cannot pass on the love of reading and learning to the next generation. The Mes-Ed (Your Story) project aims to use gentle means to break the vicious circle of exclusion from educational institutions through the means of reading stories. It changes mothers’ attitudes towards books and learning, which are naturally transmitted to children. As scientific research has shown, the more children are read to before they enter school, the greater their chances of success in education. Disadvantaged children thus become natural secondary beneficiaries of this project. They enter school having already developed a positive relationship with books and reading and the necessary vocabulary. They are also more likely to be helped by their mothers in their schooling. As part of the program the kindergarten teachers and mothers get to know each other better through cooperation, and the relationship between them improves.

   The Your Story project was originally conceived by Furugh and Raymond Switzer in 2003. Furugh then piloted it as an individual initiative with the support of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Hungarian Baha’i community, which provided the necessary materials. The project then began to grow under the auspices of the Unity in Diversity Foundation in 2006. Since then, it has been operating in many locations throughout the country in partnership with local authorities and with the support of the European Union. Since 2014 the project has successfully spread to Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania and Kosovo.