World Vision praises Madonna for taking stand on Gypsies

Christian humanitarian organization World Vision praised pop singer Madonna for advocating for the Roma population while on her just-completed Eastern European and Middle Eastern tour. Roma are more commonly referred to as Gypsies. According to the Associated Press, Madonna had gypsies perform with her band at her concert in the Romanian capital of Bucharest. She also spoke from the stage about discrimination of the nomadic Roma people, for which she was loudly booed. “It’s sad that Madonna experienced a form of discrimination while visiting our country, and it certainly took a lot of courage for her to speak out on behalf of the Roma people,” said Anita Delhaas, World Vision’s national director in Romania. “Here, the reality is that Roma feel that discrimination every day, and they can’t escape it. The fact that Madonna was booed while advocating for the Roma shows that we still have a long way to go toward basic rights and dignity for the Roma.” World Vision has provided microfinancing opportunities for Roma throughout Eastern Europe. Approximately 2 million Roma are believed to be living in Romania. Roma music and dance are widely accepted, but the people themselves who were enslaved up until the 19th century still face frequent discrimination, AP reported. Madonna’s tour ended Wednesday after two concerts in Israel. Link: World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/

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