I live for my children
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Irena Kroková was born on 21 January 1952 in the Roma village of Šarišská Trstená, eastern Slovakia. She had eleven siblings. Her father Julius Vaško worked at construction sites as a mason, and also served as a respected intermediary between the official authorities and the Roma community. Her mother Verona Vašková took care of the household but also worked in a cow house. When Irena was seven years old, her father tragically died. Half a year later, the children were taken from her mother and placed in a children’s home in Košice. One of her sons and her mother-in-law made Irena’s mum’s life miserable. Irena was then relocated with her brothers to a home in Svidník. She had spent eight years there without a mother or a family. In 1968, her eldest brother brought her to his place in Rafajovce. Irena got to work very soon, grazing the cows. In the early 70s, she left for Czechia. In 1971, she married František Balog with whom she had three children. In 1976, they got a divorce. Eight years later, she re-married Josef Kroka and permanently settled in Králův Dvůr. There, she was in frequent touch with her mother, whom she later took care of. She managed to contact some of her siblings: Eva, Julius, Helena, Martin and Josef but not Ernest. She brought her three sons up along with her second husband. She retired in 2009 and now is a proud grandma to three grandchildren.
