- Occupation
Director - Country
Czech Republic
Bader Marc
The eastern Slovak village of Bystrany has 2,500 inhabitants, two thirds of them are the Roma whose ancestors settled here in the 14th century. Most of them live on social benefits. In 2004, the government cut the benefits dramatically, and life in Roma communities became unbearable. Hundreds of Roma made use of Slovakia's EU entry to leave the poverty forever. Jan Kandrač is lucky to have a job - supervising the unemployed doing volunteer work that the government says will help the Roma to live better.