"In Central and Eastern European countries, inequalities for Roma families living in marginalized communities start early and are striking. Some of these inequalities reflect hard-wired family circumstances such as being born in poverty. Others reflect lack of opportunities such as limited access to those basic goods and services that are necessary not only for realizing one's potential in life, but also for living with dignity.
Gaps between Roma and non-Roma widen over the lifecycle in a way that reinforces and perpetuates disadvantage and translates into significantly unequal outcomes, despite the fact that Roma report having similar aspirations to those of their non-Roma neighbors. Promoting equal opportunities for disadvantaged Roma is not only an imperative for societies that want to call themselves fair, but it is also a smart economic choice, especially in those countries where populations are aging rapidly.
Investing early, with a particular emphasis on supporting healthy an
