LITHUANIAN ROMA COMMUNITY (VILNIUS)
Chairman Išvanas Kvik
Phone +37063721575
Address: Pupinės 1B, Vilnius
E-mail: sareroma@takas.lt
Lithuanian Roma Community | Facebook
The Lithuanian Roma community’s chairman Išvanas Kvik is an active leader of the Roma community who participates in solving Roma integration issues. The Roma ensemble “Sare Roma”, led by him, has become a professional band spreading Roma music and culture in various countries of the world.
The goal of the Lithuanian Roma community is to solve the main problems of the Roma people and to try to involve the Roma youth as well as to promote the community’s activity in solving the community’s problems. The community actively participates in the Roma integration working group of the city of Vilnius. In an effort to improve the situation of Roma people in Lithuania, it cooperates with other non-governmental organizations of the country.
The Lithuanian Roma community is a member of the international Roma union IRU (International Romani Union), which unites Roma communities around the world, and together with IRU organizes long-term projects that promote the knowledge of Roma culture and the memory of the victims of the Roma genocide.
The community has participated in the implementation of the four-year long project ‘Let’s work together with Roma’ (,Dirbkime kartu su romais“) (2016-2022), funded by the European Social Fund Agency, aimed at the integration of Roma into the labor market, and implemented the project ‘I CAN’ (“GALIU”) (2020-2022), which aims to empower the Roma community, promoting social integration. The aim of this project was not only to give Roma people the opportunity to be more actively involved in local community’s activities but also, to promote dialogue between Roma and non-Roma, thereby reducing negative public attitudes. Also, together with the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the European Commission, the youth platform organized a conference aimed at promoting the political activity of Roma in the Baltic region and empowering Roma to solve their problems.
Every year the Lithuanian Roma community organizes an event ‘Gypsy Fest’. It is an international festival of Roma culture, aimed at introducing the public to Roma culture, encouraging the acceptance of Roma as a part of society and developing tolerance towards each other.
The chairman of the Lithuanian Roma community, Išvanas Kvik, established the Roma music and dance band “SARE ROMA”. This band performs at various events.
„SARE ROMA“ Facebook page
Also, in the year 2020, Išvanas Kvik opened the Roma restaurant “GYPSY Lounge & Grill” in Vilnius, which is serving traditional Roma dishes and plays live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.
„GYPSY Lounge & Grill“ Facebook page
Photo made by Marius Kinsaitis, Gypsy Fest 2022
Photo: Social entrepreneurship training, 2021 m. project ‘I CAN’ („GALIU“)
‘SARE ROMA’ music and dance band
Restaurant ‘GYPSY Lounge & Grill’ in Vilnius
Išvan Kvik and Veslav Dudzinski, GYPSY Lounge & Grill, Vilnius