“It used to be safer in past, but now I would be worried to send my children to a boarding school.”
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Mr. Ľudovít Gunár was born in a Roma settlement near the village Krásnohorské Podhradie on April 27th, 1962. He attended 1st - 4th classes in an elementary school in the same settlement. At the time, the school’s population was mixed with Roma and non-Roma (currently only Roma children attend this elementary school). He finished his 2nd class in Rožňava. He continued his studies at the Agricultural Secondary School in Medzev with the specialization of agricultural machines repairman. During his studies, he did not encounter racism in his school and he considers the last regime safer. After finishing school, he worked as a construction worker in the Agrostav Rožňava company for 3 years and Pozemné Stavy Rožňava company for 13 years. After the Velvet Revolution, he became interested in civil rights activism and the possibility of improving living conditions in Roma settlements. The leader of a Roma settlement was formerly called “Vaida” who was appointed by the local national committee and wasn’t allowed to interfere in the municipal council’s decisions. Mr. Gunár enforced direct election of Vaida and of the citizens´ committee (5 members operating in a similar manner as representatives of the local municipal council). Around 2002, he was elected as the Roma Vaida for the first time and 4 years later for the second time. In his second term, he acted also as a representative of the municipal council; as a result of it, he was also appointed as Roma Vaida without elections. He and his wife raised 3 children.
