April 8 2026

Probably the most popular and most used photo of Help, which has earned cult status, is this one, which you see next to the cover story on International Roma Day, by Pavle Ćalasan, a famous Montenegrin photographer. He has shot the photo as a part of exhibition catalog of Help, at the beginning of the last decade (2010), and it was used and is still being used in the offices of Help at various addresses, everywhere where the German organization helps those who need it most. Behind the symbolic status of the photography there is a story both – before and after it, and it is about the Roma and Help in Montenegro.

This photo, in addition to its artistic qualities, the irresistible boy, the breadth of his embrace of the world, but also what we sense in the haze, reflects the part of Roma life in Montenegro even today, but fortunately it is no longer the dominant image of the life of it. Unfortunately, it is far from what it should be – but the changes – although insufficient, are visible, especially among young Roma women and men. Every day there are more of them who are educated, employed, empowered, role models for their community and others. Their activism and fight for a better life and position of the community are equally inspiring, not only for the Roma, but also widely – and show how, when you are ready to fight – the results will arrive sooner or later. For them, inclusion is not a worn-out term without real meaning, but a reality for which they fought and show others from their community the way.

However, some facts are still grim, everyday discrimination at all levels, the largest number of socially vulnerable citizens come from the Roma community, without permanent employment, health insurance, a solved housing issue, often without valid documents, still a low level of education – all of this still is landscape of the everyday life of Roma in Montenegro, but we are all working together to change the situation and the system.

The Roma community outside of Montenegro, everywhere continues to face numerous challenges and it is clear, its representatives warn, that even the limited progress achieved at all levels and in all European countries so far – is at stake due to current trends.

The European Roma Rights Center states in the proclamation on the occasion of April 8:

“Every year on the 8th of April, institutions across Europe mark International Romani Day with statements of solidarity, carefully worded commitments, and social media posts featuring flags and Romani music. It is a day that we at the European Roma Rights Centre welcome, and one we wish reflected the reality on the ground more closely. For Europe’s largest ethnic minority, the gap between words of celebration and the lived experience of discrimination has never been wider, and the forces working to widen it further have never been more emboldened as they are today.

This year, we want to be honest about that gap. This is not the moment for gestures. It is the moment for clarity about what is happening, who is responsible, and what the rest of us, Roma and non-Roma alike, are going to do about it,” it written, among other things, in the proclamation on the occasion of International Roma Day.

We at Help, together – non-Roma and Roma, have learned to do this every day.

In 27 years of work in Montenegro – Help can proudly say that we have been there for the Roma community, i.e. communities, not only on important dates such as April 8, November 5 or December 10, but every day with different programs – and make a difference – from first aid, to housing, employment, education, empowerment to support for Roma organizations, as well as the introduction of mediators through pilot projects more than ten years ago, which today are the right hand and a bridge between the Roma communities and institution in different fields and at different levels.

And we continue…