At the UPre breakfast for partners, we discussed how to prepare women to meet employers’ expectations, shared our experiences, and inspired one another. Judita, a former program participant and now our colleague, shared her personal story of overcoming barriers.
“We want to identify and better understand your needs. Since we are preparing women for employers like you, we need to know what you expect from your employees so that we can adapt the UPre program for women accordingly in the future,” said Veronika Miškech Fričová, program director of the Carpathian Foundation, at the meeting.
The breakfast took place on June 24, 2026, at Gesto in Košice. Representatives of companies and organizations that employ Romani women from marginalized communities agreed that the most important factors are the desire and willingness to work, learn, and advance. However, this is very difficult if women lack self-confidence. Many do not have it for various reasons—for example, they have not completed high school, have never worked before, or do not know how to respond in an interview or communicate with non-Roma. That’s exactly how Judita, now a graduate of the UPre program, felt at the beginning of the program.
"That meant the most to me"
In an interview with Natália Príhodova (manager of UPre for Women), Judita admitted that she didn’t say a single word at her first job interview. And that she never believed in herself. She began to change her life after joining the program, and today she works for the Carpathian Foundation and Východoslovenská distribučná, which is part of the ZSE Group. She began to trust herself and learned to stand up for herself—for example, when her partner didn’t want to let her work outside of Luník IX. When asked what helped her the most to complete the program and find a job, she replied: “The constant support and the reassurance that I could do it. Even when I was late for training, Natália didn’t criticize me; on the contrary, she encouraged me, saying she was glad I came and that I have what it takes to move forward in life.” And what was it like when she started at ZSE? “On the first day, I stood in front of the building and was very scared. I asked myself what I was even doing there—after all, I don’t even have a high school diploma. But I didn’t run away. And when I saw that they treated me just like everyone else, that meant the most to me. They didn’t treat me like a Romani woman from Luník, but as a colleague, and that gave me the courage to come back the next day.”
On the Margins of Society
Roma women are one of the most disadvantaged groups in Slovakia because they face multiple forms of discrimination—as women, as Roma, because they have low levels of education, and because they live in poverty and on the margins of society. That is one reason why, without outside help, they often cannot find a good job or stand up for themselves and their decisions. Everyone present agreed that it is important to support Romani women and, at the same time, to change the environment in which they live and work. „At Tauris, we also employ Roma men and women, and we have developed many programs through which we can support them (and not just them, but all our employees). For example, mentoring—where a more experienced employee guides a new one—has proven effective for us. We also go to schools to give presentations and teach students how to write a resume and a cover letter, and how to make a good impression. “This effort has already paid off 100-fold,” explained Ivan Treľo, director of human resources and a member of the board of directors at Tauris. Lucia Cibríková, HR manager at an automotive manufacturing company in Prešov, confirmed that this approach really pays off: “These people will become committed, dedicated, and loyal employees who will stay with your company for years.”
“It’s important to pass on our experiences,” said Ivan Treľo, and we are very happy to be able to connect important and influential people and make a positive difference not only in the lives of specific women, but in our entire society.
If you’d like to get involved—whether you’re interested in supporting the UPre Women program or want to help Roma women gain work experience and integrate into the job market—please contact Veronika Miškech Fričová at veronika.m.fricova@karpatskanadacia.sk.