An interview with Kumar Vishwanathan, the leader of Life Together Kumar Vishwanathan In the Czech city of Ostrava, it is a big problem that the Roma children are just running about without masks, in spite of the fact that it’s required by law to wear a face mask outside. Sometimes people give their masks to each-other, and we have to explain everywhere why it is important to put it on, how to use it, that they have to wash, dry and iron it before using it the next day. We try to educate the Roma children to take the epidemic seriously because if one person gets infected, the whole community is at risk. It started as a community thing in our community centre in Liščina, Ostrava when the crisis was just at the beginning and there weren’t as strict regulations as today. We wanted to teach the mothers how to sew masks for their children and families. A non-Roma and two Roma women started the work: Olina, Alka, and Věra. The idea was that the Roma women from the community will...

What do your parents mean to you? Who can you really count on? What would you like to thank them for and how? We have to face several difficulties throughout our life, but there are always people around us who we can count on no matter what happens. I have always believed that it is worth taking advice from people who had been in a similar situation. I consider myself lucky because I had a wonderful childhood with parents who did everything they could for me and my brothers. We were dearly loved while growing up, we had a beautiful life and I will be grateful to them forever. I love my friends – usually I am the odd one out, the only Gypsy girl in every circle of friends but that has never been much of a subject.   My parent's opinion and advice has always been important to me. I wanted them to be proud of me, that is why I decided to graduate from high school, learn a trade and – to my father's delight – obtain a driving license. I have taken their advice, I kne...