Student monitors adding assurance and sustainability
- Location
- Romania
- Grant Amount
- US$78,844
- Start/Finish
- Nov 2018 – Mar 2020
- Donor
- Fondation Botnar
In a context where there are very limited opportunities for students to actively shape their own futures, this initiative is changing the way people think about integrity and student participation. Students are learning firsthand that it is possible to challenge the way things work, to change things, and to obtain fixes using our approach.
In this youth-focused initiative, school students monitor local projects in 24 communities in Bacau county, Romania. Integrity Clubs are set up in each school and club members are supported by teachers to monitor projects and investments such as sports fields, playgrounds, heating systems, school toilets and school buildings to ensure that they are delivered and maintained properly using the DevelopmentCheck app. The monitors engage with key stakeholders to address problems and report in the app when problems are fixed.
Bacau County where the Support for Health, social Infrastructure and Education initiative is taking place is one of the poorest regions in Europe. The project aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged children by investing in education, health, and social services and infrastructure.
“The feedback we receive most often from children and their parents is that it is the first time someone asks them what they think they need in their school or community. Children often show maturity, know what they want, and if we listen to them more closely, we can help them shine,” says Mara Matei, project manager.
