I am Gordana Petrović (47) from Valjevo, and I am of Roma ethnicity. I grew up near Belgrade and have been living and working in Valjevo since 1997. My involvement with the Roma community began in 2005, focusing on projects related to the education of Roma children and improving access to healthcare services. Since 2009, I have worked as a Roma health mediator for the Ministry of Health at the local health center, connecting Roma people with the healthcare system and relevant institutions through daily visits to Roma families. My greatest achievement is earning the community’s trust and helping them realize their basic human rights. Encountering numerous problems that I could have not solved as a health mediator led me to establish the association Bridge 014 (Serbian: Most 014) in 2017 to empower young Roma people and other vulnerable groups. Our projects have addressed preventing early marriages and violence against women and children, reproductive health, mental health, and the economic empowerment of Roma women who have experienced violence. Through Heartefact’s project, I aim to address all forms of human rights violations and discrimination that I encounter daily (discrimination against Roma people, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ community, Roma women, women who have survived violence, single mothers and women from rural areas), particularly focusing on combating discrimination and violations of basic human rights experienced by women.
