RCC is a women, non-governmental, organization committed to achieving the respect of human rights for Roma in Serbia, with special attention on children and youth. The group is comprised of Roma and members of the majority population working together in partnership to address the needs of Roma, as a minority group experiencing exclusion and marginalization.

RCC was established in 1999.

The aim of RCC’s existence and efforts is to work for social justice, human rights and against discrimination.

Since 1999, RCC had successfully implemented:

• 7 education projects, 5 extensions of support program for “street children” in Belgrade and 5+1 ongoing projects whose objectives were health education and literacy classes for Roma women (they were held in the field, in the Roma settlements) funded by Fund for an Open Society – Serbia (1999-2004),
• Distribution of school necessities for Roma children funded by Madre (1999),
• “Reaching of basic human rights for street children” funded by Save the children UK (2002),
• Many educational initiatives for Roma children funded by for Overseas Development Agencies in partnership with ECHO and DCI (from1999-2006)
• “Rehabilitation of Roma Children Education Rights” and Adults literacy classes for Roma” funded by Trocaire Ireland
• “Equal Access to Health Care and Protection of Roma in Serbia” funded by OSI Public Health program in co-funding with Fond for an Open Society – Serbia
• “Decrease of discrimination against Roma in health institutions“ funded by OSI Public Health program in co-funding with Fond for an Open Society – Serbia
• “Joint activity of Roma community and health providers in order to improve health status of Roma community in Serbia“ funded by OSI Public Health program in co-funding with Fond for an Open Society – Serbia
• „Promotion of Public Health initiatives through increased capacities of both Roma Community and health practitioners working in Public Health Services“ funded by OSI Public Health program in co-funding with Fond for an Open Society – Serbia
• “ I have a right to know” , in partnership with Primary Health Care Centre “Savski Venac”, Belgrade, funded by Ministry of Health, Republic of Serbia
• “Expanding access of Roma community to the quality health care program through providing capacity building to Roma NGOs and health practitioners and built up their partnership“ funded by Fund for an Open Society – Serbia

In addition, RCC is supporting Roma women who are victims of domestic violence, throughout voluntary activity of five RCC staff members who are fully trained and have had participated in the work of SOS Belgrade telephone line for the victims of domestic violence.

Centre for Professional Development of Employees, established by Ministry for Education and Sport (MOES), has issued the list of recognized seminars and recommended NGO partners. RCC, with their training “Sensitization on Roma issue with the specific attention on education and discrimination” is on this list, and based on various recommendations RCC’s staff is implementing this training throughout Serbia mostly for professionals working in education and health areas.

RCC is a member of the League for the Decade of Roma Inclusion and one of its founders.

The PRSP, the National Strategy for the Integration and Empowerment of the Roma, and the Millennium Development Goals/MDG that refer to health, define the ways to improve the health status of the population and decrease the inequality of access to health services of particularly vulnerable groups such as Roma.

Furthermore, question of Health and Accessibility of Public Health Protection for Roma in Serbia was one of the topics in Strategy Paper. One of recommendations from the part 8.2.2 Health policy in Serbia, addressing on (2) Improvement of health care for vulnerable groups is “Linking of institutions of primary heath care with educational and other institutions (government and non-government)”. Furthermore, in part (3) Recommendation connected with Health protection of Roma, under (b) is: “Anti-discriminatory programs should be developed, together with programs of raising awareness of medical staff. This could be anticipated training in process of creating new skills for employees in public heath care institutions.”