Country Facilitators
REF Office in Budapest:
Terez krt. 46
Mark Center
Budapest, 1066
Hungary
Phone: +36-1-235-8030
E-mail: info@romaeducationfund.org
Albania and Kosovo
Marsela Taho
Country Facilitator for Albania and Kosovo
Email: mtaho@romaeducationfund.org
Marsela Taho is Albanian, started working for the Roma Education Fund in June 2010, as a country facilitator for Albania and Kosovo. She received her degree in social work from the University of Tirana in 2001, and also completed the Roma Participation Programme at the Central European University in Budapest in December, 2005. Marsela has worked with children and their families as a social worker for various organizations, such as Terres Des Homes, UNDP Local Governance Programme, AiBi (Amici dei Bambini) Roma women of the Future. She is involved in Roma women issues and she is part of the International Network of Roma Women. Lately she worked in the Ministry of Labour and Social affairs and Equal Opportunities in Tirana, in the Secretariat of the Decade Roma Inclusion.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Aida Mihajlovic
Country Facilitator-Bosnia and Herzegovina
Email: amihajlovic@romaeducationfund.org
Aida Mihajlovic is a BIH national. She graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Science, English Department, Sarajevo University, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She started working in different schools in 1987 while in the last 15 years she focused her work in NGO sector. During this period she held various positions in managing and coordinating in different NGOs and diplomatic mission. She has trainings in monitoring and evaluation, anti-bias, leadership, communication, PTSP, ethics, code and empathy. While working with Save the Children UK she provided valuable support and input as a member of the project coordinators team to the publication ”A Guide for Models of Good Practice in Regional Project-Based Work with Roma Children” as an output of the “Inclusive Education and Anti-Discrimination in the Western Balkans – Equal Opportunities for Roma Children Project”. She is married and has a son.
Bulgaria
Dimitar Dimitrov
Country Facilitator
Email: ddimitrov@romaeducationfund.org
Cell: +359898428500
Dimitar Dimitrov graduated B.A. “Tourism”in 2004. In 2009 he finished his postgraduate in “Social Development Practice” at the London metropolitan university, UK. He has professional qualifications in “Political management”, “Management of European programs and projects”. In 2005 he did a traineeship in the European Commission at DG Employment, Social affairs and Equal opportunities. In 2006 he was a trainee in the National parliament of Bulgaria. He is also graduate of “Bulgarian school of politics”.
He has specific experience in the area of Minority issues, Youth, Volunteering, EU social issues, Education, especially Education of minorities and Roma in particular. He has been involved in programs and projects of local, national and international NGOs and public institutions. He has an extensive practice in Community development. For a limited period of time he was a senior expert in the State agency for youth and sports in Bulgaria. As a consultant he was involved in elaboration and development of different social, educational and socio-economic studies and analyses.
Czech Republic and Slovakia
Jan Stejskal
Country Facilitator
E-mail: jstejskal@romaeducationfund.org
Jan Stejskal holds a Ph.D. in law and legal science, and a B.A. degree in sociology and media studies, both from the Masaryk University (MU), Brno. Previously he worked as an educator in law and political science at the MU; as an election campaign manager; or as a coordinator of the „Together to School“ (Jekhetane andre škola) coalition composed of 15 NGOs pursuing equal access to education for Roma children. Jan conducted several studies on housing, anti-debt programs and education. He also published in newspapers on human right and Roma related issues. He joined the Roma Education Fund as a country facilitator in 2011.
Croatia
Biserka Tomljenović
Country Facilitator
E-mail:btomljenovic@romaeducationfund.org
Biserka Tomljenović is a Croatian citizen with multicultural family background. She holds an MA degree in social work from University of Zagreb Faculty of Law. Her graduation thesis was „Educational Segregation of Roma in Croatia“. She started working on projects regarding Roma education since 1998 and has been continuously engaged in the issue since then. She cooperated with various NGO's, international organisations and government bodies. From 2006-2009 she was engaged as an external associate of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports at the position of Project coordinator for the project „Improvement of Access and Quality of Roma Education in Croatia“ supported by REF. She has experience working as a project manager, trainer, research associate, advocacy and activism, organisation of parent groups, leader of support groups for underage mothers, children with behavioural problems, individual counselling.
Hungary
Nikoletta Olah
Country Facilitator
Email:nolah@romaeducationfund.org
Nikoletta Olah, graduated a BA degree in Social Worker (University of Pécs) and Social Manager (Corvinus University) and an MA degree in Social Politics received at ELTE University. Previously she worked as a project coordinator and analyst to EU projects before joining REF. She has worked with NGO’s and the private sector also. This position includes duties of supporting grant management program and coordinating the European early childhood education project of REF, overall facilitating the implementation of these program among partner organization, local stakeholders and donors.
Macedonia
Senad Mustafov
Country Facilitator
Email: smustafov@romaeducationfund.org
Senad Mustafov is a Roma from Macedonia. He graduated from the faculty of Law – “Justinian I” at University “St. Cyril and Methodius” - "Skopje, Macedonia. Since 1999-2002 he has been actively involved with Roma Civil Society, working as a volunteer - assistant in Roma program in Foundation Open Society Institute – Macedonia (FOSIM) and later as a program coordinator in Romaversitas/FOSIM. He was member of the Romany expert group on European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI). He is trainer for democracy and Advocacy and Lobbing.
Romania
Danut Dumitru
Country Facilitator
Email: ddumitru@romaeducationfund.org
Danut Dumitru is a Romanian Roma, working as a Country Facilitator for Romania since September 2010. In the last four years, he worked with the Roma Initiatives as a Programme Coordinator at the Open Society Institute, Budapest where amongst other tasks, he was monitoring and evaluating projects implemented. In doing so, he had monitored many NGOs from all parts of Central Eastern Europe. Since 2000, Danut has been involved in defending Roma rights with Romani CRISS (Roma Center for Social Intervention and Studies) in Romania. He has worked with many international organizations as social worker and counselor, and also worked in Population Services International as a Program Coordinator in a research on Sexual Transmitted Disease within the Roma communities as a Behavior Change Communicator (BCC). Danut holds degree in Sociology and Social Work from the University of Bucharest, Romania and an MA Degree in Community Administration of Justice. He graduated from Roma Access Program of the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, in 2005.
Serbia
Natasha Kocic-Rakocevic
Country Facilitator
Email: nkocic@romaeducationfund.org
Natasha Kocic Rakocevic is a Roma, with Serbian citizenship. Since 1999, she has been actively involved with Roma Civil Society, working as a programme manager for Roma Children’s Centre. She managed numerous programs dealing with education, health, civil participation and gender issues. Natasha took part in Serbian Roma rights movement. As a Roma National Consultant, engaged by UNICEF, she participated in development of Sub-regional Study on Exclusion of Roma in South-East European Countries with particular focus on Roma children and women. She has inclusive training in project and financial management, project development, monitoring, fundraising and strategy planning.
