A place to mingle – The Kakhovka Roma Youth Centre

It’s just after 9 a.m. on a Friday in mid-July, but the outside temperature is already close to 30 degrees Celsius. Stephen, a Monitoring Officer with the SMM’s team in Kherson, southern Ukraine, exhales deeply. “Looks like we’re in for another warm day,” he says. “I better brief the team soon, so we can get to our destination before the midday heat.”

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, Stephen worked for many years as a Russian language interpreter before moving to Ukraine in 2015. He then joined the SMM in Mariupol in 2016 and eventually transferred to Kherson. Today, Stephen, along with Michele from Italy and Denys, the local language assistant, will visit a Roma youth centre in Kakhovka, run by a local NGO.

The team finishes the patrol brief and starts heading northeast. The ride takes them through the outskirts of Kherson and up the stream of the Dnipro river. While they are in the car, Michele, an expert on human rights and who has been with the SMM for almost seven years after postings in Africa and Central Asia, provides some information on the centre that they will visit. “The organization is called ‘Romano Tkhan’, which roughly translates to ‘Roma Place’. They only recently started renovation at the centre, so the place is still under construction.” And, with a spark in his eye, he adds, “I’m excited to see how far they got since our last visit.”

After a 90 minute drive, the team arrives at the premises of Romano Tkhan, in the downtown area of Kakhovka, a small city on the banks of a huge barrier lake called, by some, the ‘Kakhovka Sea’. The youth centre itself is in a building, which, over the decades, served as a hospital and a school. Dating back to 1905, the place is registered as part of the city’s cultural heritage.

Yanush Pachenko, the director of the local NGO, greets Stephen, Michele and Denys at the entrance and guides them through the building. Yellowed hangings peel off the walls. Old metal steps lead up to the first floor. One can tell that time has taken its toll on this house, which is now to be filled with life once again.

Before starting Romano Tkhan in 2017, Yanush Pachenko worked as a teacher at the local school. He quickly realized that the few classes taught in Romani language for about 70 pupils, were not enough to share knowledge about Roma culture. “I felt the desire to create a space that would be open to both Roma and Ukrainian youth. Ukrainian kids should have the chance to see how rich Roma culture is.”

Today, two representatives from the local city council join Yanush Panchenko. Together they want to give an update to the SMM’s team on how work at the youth centre is proceeding. Iryna Honcharova, the city council’s secretary, and Viktor Zubkov, director of Kakhovka’s Center for Social Services, are visibly proud.

Romano Tkhan is a pilot project with the Kakhovka municipality providing free space to the NGO. “The opening of the centre is certainly an excellent initiative, but it can only be a first step. We hope that this will serve as inspiration for others,” Iryna Honcharova explains.

“There are about 37,000 inhabitants in Kakhovka.” Denys, who used to work as an English language teacher before joining the SMM in 2014, translates the words of Yanush Panchenko. “Some 500 of them are Roma, though, the number might be higher, so a lot can still be done.”

While the SMM’s team is shown around the premises, Yanush Panchenko talks about the activities he plans to organize. Besides the promotion of the Roma language and culture, the NGO intends to host a photo exhibition about the history of the Roma community in the Kakhovka area. “We will also open a sports ground next to the building,” Panchenko says. Ultimately, he hopes that the work of the centre will foster stronger ties and help the mutual understanding between the communities in Kakhovka.

After some two hours, Stephen and the team slowly wrap up the conversation, thanking Yanush Panchenko and Kakhovka’s city representatives for their time and get on the road to Kherson.

Back at the SMM’s offices, the team collects their notes to prepare the patrol report. What Stephen, Michele and Denys agree on is how impressed they are with what the team of Romano Tkhan has achieved. “One has to remember that these people are all volunteers,” Michele says. “They paint the walls, install new electrical equipment and refurbish the place top to bottom. It’s fair to say that they are building this youth centre from scratch.” Stephen nods, “Their work contributes to mutual understanding. That deserves great respect.”