What does education mean for you? Did you know that the tradition of marrying early and starting a family at a young age is still alive in many communities? Early marriage and early parenthood due to family pressure is an existing phenomenon and the youngsters at Pásztó have experienced that in their own environment too. Their firm opinion is that they do not want to start a family while they are studying. But what can one do if he or she already has children and wants to take care of them despite the difficult circumstances? Youngsters from Kövicses Part group, Pásztó, discussed parenthood at Roma Heroes workshop and they performed the below described scene. The hero of the youngsters is a single mother who raises several children while taking care of her elderly mother. She did not finish school because of her early marriage; the family lives in poverty despite the fact that the children work and help in many ways, too. It is very important for the mother that the childre...

My story dates back to more than ten years ago now. For a long while, I lived in love and harmony with my husband and our daughter, but at some point we realised that we do not walk the same paths and we both started a new life. It was a peaceful divorce and we are on good terms even today. Shortly, I got to know a special man who accepted my daughter, accepted my Gypsy origin and with whom we planned our future together. I thought that finally, I have made it, but I was mistaken. Our relationship became too difficult, trust was lost and thus we had to let each other go. Let a loved one go is never easy, but this time, the circumstances made it even harder for us. My spare money was in the house that we had built together and where I could not stay any longer with my daughter. I had no home, no money and no partner, I was alone with a little girl. I had to start again from zero. I did not know how I will pull myself together and how I will get a home without any spare money. ...

I was 13 years old when I arrived in Belgium to live with my father. Moving to a different country meant changes in all fields of life: different traditions, different culture, different language. In order to go to school, first I had to learn a completely different language. After that I continued to study and get a qualification. Everything went well, I started to feel at home. One day I found out that I was pregnant. I was 16 years old. This was a very hard time at school. I was ill a lot and missed my classes and exams. At the age of 17 I gave birth to my daughter. I will never forget the first moment when I hold her in my arms. I stayed at home to take care of her and didn't go back to school.*  When I was 18, I went to the social welfare office to see if me and my daughter could get some financial support, which we got. This made it possible for me to move out and go to live on my own with my little daughter. I've been a single mom for almost 2 years now. It...

According to Barbara Tonté, founder of  Romani Gastro  blog, the everyday heroes, who feed us and cook for us, often remain unnoticed and unrecognised.  Video by Nikolett Csányi The discussion have been realized in the frame of the 'Rikardo cooked something - kitchen, fashion, culture in the 8th district' event organized by the Goethe Institute Budapest .