IOCB Tech Foundation donates one million Czech crowns to support Romani students
The IOCB Tech Foundation in the Czech Republic has decided to support the Scholarship Program for Romani students of higher vocational schools, secondary schools and universities. Thanks to the ROMEA organization, the program has been crucial to educating Romani students since 2016, and the IOCB Tech Foundation will support it with a donation of one million Czech crowns [EUR 40,000] over two years.
The Scholarship Program has already aided hundreds of Romani students with achieving better educations. The first informal meeting was held between representatives of the IOCB Tech Foundation and ROMEA in December 2023, where the basis for this new collaboration was established.
The IOCB Tech Foundation was established in 2022 by the IOCB Tech company, part of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic’s Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, to contribute to the development of science and its practical uses, as well as to raise awareness about the importance of scientific research among the general public. It has already donated more than 35 million Czech crowns [EUR 1.4 million] for such purposes.
“ROMEA aids dozens of Romani students, female and male, on their paths to better-quality educations, people who would otherwise never be able to afford to study because of their families’ poor financial situations. We want this assistance to be even more available so we will be able to encounter Romani scientists, architects or doctors even more frequently. Our society cannot afford to lose so many talents for social reasons. That’s why we decided to support this project,” says Barbara Eignerová, chair of the administrative board of the IOCB Tech Foundation.
The gift from the IOCB Tech Foundation won’t just support the scholarships themselves, but will also support attendance at the program’s BARUVAS meetings, the purchase of school supplies, and tutoring. Štefan Balog, manager of the scholarship program, said the IOCB Tech Foundation is its first donor from the academic sphere and expressed the hope that the collaboration could inspire other such donors.
“Investment into education is the best investment of all, it always pays off. Today we are seeing successful Romani university graduates, and I believe the same will be said of the next generation of Romani youth who will be actively involved in the labor process immediately after they graduate,” Balog said.
Since its establishment in 2016, the ROMEA Scholarship Program has distributed 605 stipends to 282 students. However, because of its limited financial resources, the organization is only able to provide 80 scholarships per academic year.
“We hope this move by the IOCB Tech Foundation will inspire other academic institutions, foundations, firms and individuals to contribute some amount of money to improve the chances of Romani youth achieving quality educations. One day these young people will be successful experts and return the support they received during their studies to society many times over,” Balog said.
The ROMEA Scholarship Program is financed solely from private contributions by firms, foundations, and individual donors who give what they can through the Darujme.cz online portal.
