I would like to return what I got from life!

Photo by Krisztián Maráczi 

If we turn to other people as to equal partners, they become capable of much more than they would think.

I grew up with seven brothers and sisters. We were never alone, we could always count on each other, we were real tricksters, we were never bored, neither we nor our parents. My childhood was not easy, we had everything but we had to face many difficulties. I would not trade it for anything.

I owe a lot to my teachers, there was always someone who held my hand, motivated and supported me. My original profession is house painter, I am one of the best painters, thanks to my teacher of the time, who always inspired me to be twice as good as my peers. For a long time, I could only wash the tools in practice lessons, I did not have the opportunity to show that I can do far more than that. Things changed when me and some of my classmates got a task which we accomplished making our best efforts and our teacher noticed our talent. At the end of my studies, in 2004, I was got  the best student painter of the year award. 

All this has an enormous impact on my life even today and I always do my best and help whenever I can. I would like to return what I got from life and from people in my surrounding. I wish if the only thing that matters were what you have achieved and not your origin. I am a human being and my talent should not be measured against my Gypsy origin. That is why I continued studying later, to be able to live as a happy and proud Gypsy man, to be somebody in life. Since that time, I have been working in the media as a reporter.

Last year, me and some dear friends started an initiative in Pesterzsébet which focuses on the individual development and talent nurturing of Roma and non-Roma children, after school. The program is called Kaposvári József Studio, named after a famous shoemaker who made shoes for stars as well as poor children in need. I got to know József, who unfortunately has since passed away, due to my work. We wanted to follow his worldview: all were equal in his eyes.

We meet the children and their parents twice a week. Our goal is to help the children to set goals for themselves. And to reach these goals, to become interested, open-minded people. Today, it is not only a program but also a close-knit community, this is the power of our initiative. When we first met, they hardly dared to speak a word, today they are much more open. A mother of six who had never worked before started attending nurse training. When a girl failed in school, we helped her prepare for the retake exam. At the exam, the teacher told her if there is one topic that she can talk about she would pass, but the girl proudly replied that she was familiar with all topics as there was a teacher who helped her learn them and she can respond any questions. Of course she passed the exam successfully. 

What did I get from the children? Friendship and acceptance.

The post was written by Vivien Balogh based on her discussion with Róbert Papp.