Left behind

摘要

"No role models," says Zvezdelina Atanassova when asked why education is not valued in Lozenets. In this Roma (gypsy) neighbourhood in Stara Za-gora, a town of 138,000 in south-eastern Bulgaria, she is a rarity: a Roma, a woman and a student. Girls here rarely study beyond primary school. Boys drop out around 15, as soon as they can get a driving licence. Asked about their aspirations, seven in ten say they want to become pimps, laments Gantcho Iliev, who runs a charity working with Lozenets' youth. No other occupation comes with a big house, posh car and the attention of attractive women.