Halfway there
Lacko, a 17-year-old Roma boy, lives in a re-education centre in the town of Velké Leváre near Bratislava, Slovakia. His mother died when he was a child and his father, disabled and living on social benefits, struggled to care for his seven children. As a result, Lacko spent his early years stealing and abusing drugs. Their neighbors treated them poorly because of their Roma heritage and the family eventually had to move. At the center, Lacko learned to read and write and how to keep a job. He experienced a different way of life and is happy. He misses his family, which does not show much interest in him. During holidays, other boys go home, but he must stay in the re-education home. Lacko has to stay in the center until next summer. After that, he wants to return home, find a job, start taking care of his one-year-old son and his girlfriend. He wants to be responsible and avoid relapsing into his old destructive habits.
!["Gypsies are better than Romanians", says Mariana, a 27-year old Romanian woman, who lives in a Roma community. She started to write letters to Catalin while he was in prison, on behalf of his parents ...](http://roma.glocalstories.org/media/mm_cache/mm_photos/sledford_intermarriage__thumbnail_image.jpg ""Gypsies are better than Romanians", says Mariana, a 27-year old Romanian woman, who lives in a Roma community. She started to write letters to Catalin while he was in prison, on behalf of his parents ...")
