Community building through
gardening
1 Background information
Country
Region
Full project title
Duration of project
Funding
Hungary
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, Nyíregyháza
Tomorrow-care
01 May 2014 – 30 August 2014
1 238 800 Ft (cca. EUR 4.000)
Financed from the small-project fund of the social urban rehabilitation
project „Territorial and social reintegration of Huszártelep”
2 Project summary
Huszártelep is a segregated district of Nyíregyháza. Over 1800 people – mostly roma – live
here in small, low quality social houses – both multi-apartment blocks of flats and small
single-family houses. The municipality launched an integrated social urban rehabilitation
project in the area in order to hinder further deterioration of the area and facilitate the gradual
social and territorial reintegration.
The second phase of this social rehabilitation programme has been implemented with a
budget of nearly HUF 500 million (cca.EUR 1,6 Million, co-financed from the Regional
Operational Programme), with a focus on the renewal of the multi-apartment social houses in
the area (quality improvement, increasing energy efficiency).
As part of the project, a small project fund was set up (mandatory element of the social
rehabilitation project) to facilitate small-scale soft measures to enhance social integration of
the people living in the area.
One of the small projects selected for support is a complex operation involving families living
in small houses with a garden in the area, reintroducing small-scale self-sustaining gardening
and supporting community building among roma women and children using storytelling and
tales as vehicles.
3 The challenge
Huszártelep is one of the two registered segregated districts in Nyíregyháza, a dynamic city
of 120.000 inhabitants in the North-Eastern corner of Hungary. It has a peripheral location in
the city, cut by a railway line and an industrial area from the rest of the city. Earlier (towards
the end of the 19th century) Huszártelep served as cavalry barracks, with residential wings,
community buildings and stables. After WW2 the buildings briefly served as soviet barracks,
and then in the 1960s the municipality moved here gipsy families into social houses,
gradually turning it into a segregated roma ghetto.
The total area of the district is 114 hectares, with 1875 inhabitants. The former residential
buildings (multi-apartment buildings and small houses with garden) are now social houses,
owned by the municipality. Most of the apartments are small, low quality, often inhabited by
multiple families.
The entire district is characterised by:
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Low level of education
Low level of economic activity
Extremely high unemployment
High level of poverty and exclusion
Poor physical environment
The net monthly income is very low HUF 95.000 (approx. EUR300/ household), as compared
to the city average of HUF 177.000 (nearly 600 EUR/household). Only a very small number
of people have permanent jobs, the prime sources of revenue are social transfers.
Most families have high level of utility debts, while prostitution, usury, theft and physical
assaults are frequent in the area. The municipality has recognized that this is a major
challenge for the city, and various (mostly EU co-financed) projects have been implemented
to remedy the problem. In addition, well-functioning social services have been placed in
Huszártelep, including:
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Social and child-welfare service
Family support service
Family nurses
Kindergarten
School
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Targetted equal opportunities programme
Debt-management support
While these services improve the quality of life of the families here, some of them
(kindergarten, school) actually enhance segregation.
4 The desired change
The municipality – recognizing the problems – is committed to stop the further social and
economic deprivation of roma families living in the area and to improve the housing
conditions, public spaces and generally the quality of life. Reintegration, equal opportunities
are also stated objectives, but are approached with extreme care given their possible
(negative) political consequences.
The commitment is demonstrated clearly in the fact that already the second social
rehabilitation project in a row is being implemented in the area, and further future actions are
planned.
Both social rehabilitation projects have been co-financed from European Regional
Development Funds (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Programme, focusing mainly
on infrastructural development of the area.
In the second programme a small-project fund is included, through which the municipality
supports small-scale initiatives (mini-projects) identified locally, using a bottom-up approach.
One of the mini-projects selected has foreseen the following positive changes as a result of
the activities proposed:
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Availability of locally produced, inexpensive healthy foods in the area
Rehabilitated yards of small houses
Increased self-confidence among roma women
5 Project design
The integrated social urban rehabilitation project of Nyíregyháza has been supported from
the Regional Operational Programme: “Territorial and social reintegration of Huszártelep”.
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Implementation period: 01.09.2012 – 31.08.2014.
Total budget: HUF 489.000.000 (approx. EUR 1.630.000)
Rate of support: 85
The construction company to implement the investment parts of the project (wall insulation,
replacement of windows, quality improvements, etc.) (Nyír-Komplett Kft.) understood early in
the process that implementing this rehabilitation requires a different approach – there is a
strong need to ensure the support and commitment of local people to avoid damage, theft of
materials, conflicts during the works. – hasonló beruházások esetén az önkormányzattal
egyeztetve mindig bevonja a helyieket pl. az őrzés-védés feladatára (saját jól felfogott
érdeke).
Therefore, they have involved professionals who know the area and its unique problems and
also understand the people who live there. Together with them they identified various
accompanying measures, including:
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Employing locals as security guards at the construction sites
Employing locals as labourers at the constructions
Together with a local foundation (“Alkossunk várost” – “Cocreate the city”) they have
arranged the distribution of firewood and used clothes among the inhabitants of
Huszártelep.
The firewood distributed was a gift from the construction company and from the local (greekcatholic) school. Contacting local people has been done through the “trustee” of the area,
employed by the municipality. She is a young roma woman accepted and and respected by
all locals. The director of the greek-catholic school (located in Huszártelep) provided the
schoolyard to host the process. They also used the process for entering into small chats with
roma families and asking them about what do they see as problems. Interestingly, even
surprisingly, many people answered that the lack of fence around family-house gardens is –
for them – a major problem. The small projects used this as a starting point.
How much firewood can fit in a stroller?
The distribution of firewood and used clothes was a big event in Huszártelep. Families
lined up at the gate of the schoolyard. People waited patiently and chatted with each
other. Rumour was, that the firewood is a present from the company doing the
reconstruction of the buildings and from the director of the local school.
Everybody arrived well-prepared: they knew they needed means of transport – but not
what one may expect. Actually, the area in front of the schoolyard gate looked like an
exhibition of vintage strollers – representatives of different models from the past 30 years
were all showcased. None of them carried babies this time, however; their duty was to
transport the firewood to the homes of the people.
Everybody knew the security guards who let the families in in small groups: they were
from among them – young roma guys proudly wearing t-shirts with the text „security” on
their back.
Inside, the trustee of the area, the representative of the construction company, the
director of the school and volunteers helped to fill in the strollers with firewoods and
clothes, while chatting with them.
It was a good day: there was no conflict whatsoever, and people felt that somebody
genuinely wanted to help them.
In response to the requests of the local people, the Foundation (with the support of the
construction company and the local school) has prepared a project proposal and submitted a
simple application to the small project fund. The project has been selected for support.
6 The partnership
Partner
Mayor’s Office, Nyíregyháza
Alkossunk Várost (Co-create
the City) Foundation
Nyír-Komplett Kft.
Miklós Sólya Greek-catholic
school
Roma Self-government
“Trustee”
Responsibilities
Delivering the integrated social urban rehabilitation projects,
managing the small project fund.
Project owner of the mini-project
The construction company carrying out the construction
elements of the project
(The owner of Nyír-Komplett is also an active volunteer in
the foundation)
Daily contact with families, provision of space for events,
collection and providing donations to the target group
Regular contacts with families
Collecting and providing donations
Mentoring, operative management of actions, daily contacts
with families involved
7 Project activities and beneficiaries
The small project has 3 main activities:
1. Gardening: Practical training in gardening, joint preparation of gardens together
with the locals, building the fences. The project covered the expenses for the soil,
seeds and seedlings, concrete fence posts and wire. Vegetable production in the
backyards. This project element was supported by 3 mentors: the trustee, the school
director and 1 gardening specialist. Target group: families who live in houses with
garden, where the women are either at home with the lilttle children, unemployed or
have sufficient free time. Only those families were eligible whose houses have not
been rehabilitated. Started out with 30 families, there remained 20 by the end of the
project.
2. Storytelling mothers: regular „storytelling” workshops for mothers and smalll
children – joint reading of fairy tales, helping mothers with reading problems. This
project element has also included regular distribution of storybooks; it turned out,
however, that there is a bigger need for hygienic products, so later the books were
replaced with basic toiletries.
3. Neighborhood cooking competition: as the official closing of the project, a
neighborhood (outdoor) cooking competition was organized, using also the raw
materials produced in the backyard gardens. The schoolyard hosted the event, the
necessary equipment (benches, tables, cauldron, sausages) has been provided by
the foundation. The winners were awarded plates, pots, dishes, cutlery.
The guest is always the first!
On a beautiful summer Saturday the children, women and men of Huszártelep come
together at the schoolyard. Some people set the fire, some others cut vegetables or
prepare other ingredients: this is the first community cooking competition. While the
teams work frantically, the little children (roma together with the non-roma kids of the
organizers, helpers, volunteers) play in the middle of the yard.
The vegetables used by the teams have all been produced here, as part of the gardening
project started half year ago. People walk around and look at the work of other teams,
joking and chatting with each other, and everybody enjoys the common activity.
It’s 12 o’clock – the teams make the final touches as the jury – consisting of the bishop of
the greek-catholic church, the owner of the construction company, the head of the
foundation and the director of the school starts to walk around. They stop at every team,
talk with the team members, taste and praise the food prepared, and make notes. There
are actually so many teams that by the time they reach to the last team, the food they
prepared gets cold. Still, nobody ate from it. The jury asks why they have not started to
eat – and the leader of the team answers leaving no doubt about it: “nobody in the team
can start to eat before the guests”.
While not part of the small project, it is worth briefly introducing here the various innovative
elements aimed at the involvement of the locals, used during the investment elements by the
construction company. The construction focused on the rehabilitation of some community
buildings and municipality social houses.
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Immediately after discussions with the municipality as the client, the company
identified the local leader – opinion leader (like the village chiefs in African
settlements) to win his support for the process.
Then the inhabitants were invited to inform them about the works, about the
possibility to participate as workers and that the demolished materials can be
collected and used.
Unique elements to adapt to the local needs:
- Shorter workday, daily or weekly pay instead of monthly wage;
- Provision of a warm room where people could stay after work (to save on
heating);
- Continuously stressing and respecting mutual interests (you can receive but
you also have to give)
- Respect needs to be demonstrated also by regularly visiting the families as
guests;
- Consistent and decisive actions to ensure respect;
- Regular control and supervision;
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The use of materials that cannot be resold for revenue (for instance no reusable
insulation material, plastic gutter, etc.)
The rehabilitation has been completed one month before the deadline, the tenants did not
need to leave the apartments during the construction, and no material or equipment has
been stolen. There is a small number of workers from Huszártelep who have been working
for the construction company since then.
8 Project results and impacts
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Local acceptance: they accept the results of the rehabilitation
Stronger local social cohesion – stronger community
Steps towards economic, cultural, social integration;
Stronger local identity
Improved social skills – interest representation, democratic principles
Use of locally produced vegetables;
Showing positive examples to other families, children;
Improved qualities to meet general labour market requirements (work discipline,
ability to work without constant supervision, time-keeping, etc.)
Reduced energy expenses
Improved quality of public spaces and buildings;
Improved green areas, increased safety
9 Key learning points
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Baby steps instead of big changes
Focus on smaller communities
Continuous mentoring
Involvement of local leader
Let them tell what they really need and do not assume
Flexibly adapt, be ready to change if the original plan fails
Personal relationships and trust are key – they have to be nurtured and constantly
demonstrated. Two examples:
o The representatives of the foundation take with them their children whenever
there is an event at Huszártelep – they can (an do) play together with roma
children;
o There is only one small shop at Huszártelep. The two (non-roma) shop-assistants
started to work there as trainees more than 30 years ago. Even though they had
other possibilities since they started, they have kept working there, go to work
every morning without any special protection or security; locals trust and respect
them, they know every people, their habits and are important actors in the local
community.
Integration measures focusing on the minority are important – however, interventions
are necessary to prepare the majority society to accept the minority.
10 Sustainability and transferability
Integration is a process, not a project – regular presence and actions are needed.
The next step is already being taken – the objective is to involve children through sports. As
part of the rehabilitation project a small football field was created. It is surrounded with a
fence, and it is kept closed, so while it is modern and nice to look at, it is of no use. The
foundation plans to launch football training twice a week for children – currently they are
fundraising and try to identify a “face” to the project. After one year of training the most
talented players were provided with full equipment and are transferred to one of the football
schools or the academy in Nyíregyháza. A young author (Éva Trembácz) who was born in
Nyíregyháza, and currently lives in Washington offered the entire income of her book
published recently for the purpose of the project.
The approach, the process and methods – and even many specific elements of the project –
can be adopted in other settlements in the implementation of social urban rehabilitation
projects.
Prepared by Bela Kezy; Thematic Expert on the Roma-NeT project; October 2014