 August 17, 2006 – Born to a Czech father and Romany mother, Gabriela Hrabanova has experienced the value of cultural diversity since the day she was born. It did not take her long to embrace her Roma identity—something she easily could have deemphasized in the face of discrimination—and use it as fuel for her support of the Roma minority in the Czech Republic.
“Even now sometimes people do not believe I am a Roma,” says Gabi, pointing out her lighter skin color. “But being a Roma isn’t about what you look like, but about your pride for your heritage.”
At the age of 27, Gabi has already been director of the NGO “Athinganoi” 1.5 years, but she has been involved with the organization since its inception in 1999. The organization promotes the importance of education and its connection to social inclusion, and also strives to keep alive Roma culture. Currently Athinganoi is organizing political leadership training for women to encourage greater female participation at all political levels.
Gabi, fluent in English, attended a specialized high school where she concentrated on art and advertising, and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree at the New Anglo-American College in Prague in Sociology and Politics. Although it is still rare for Roma to receive a college education, Gabi is an excellent example of how much today’s young Roma leaders can accomplish.
In her pursuit of greater opportunities for Roma in the Czech Republic, Gabi has been an integral part of the Decade of Roma Inclusion’s outreach to Roma NGOs. She has even met with World Bank Presidents Jim Wolfensohn and Paul Wolfowitz and had the opportunity to express her concerns. The key now is to make sure that organizations like the World Bank and the European Union fulfill their promises to the Decade.
Although securing funds for her NGO is a constant challenge, Gabi remains hopeful about what hers and other Roma NGOs can accomplish, as long as they strengthen cooperation with one another and local and national governments.
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