The Third Sector of Social Action and Roma People During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The most recent scientific literature shows the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on socially vulnerable groups such as Roma people. Non-profit social initiative organizations were active agents in overcoming the effects of the pandemic. This article shows the role that Third Sector of Social Action organizations played in alleviating the impact of the pandemic in collaboration with the Roma community itself, as part of the R&D&I research project ROM21, which studied the social agency of the Roma population in Spain regarding overcoming inequalities caused by the pandemic in relation to education, social services, and civic organizations. Based on the communicative methodology, discussion groups and interviews were conducted with Roma people and professionals from social services, civic organizations, and the health and education sectors, with 54 Roma women, 24 Roma men, 40 professionals, and 5 social activists participating. The results show the social initiative entities’ social action strategies in collaboration with the Roma community and the public administrations that responded to the needs that arose during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic context.