Child sponsorship update from Dren, Bulgaria

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Dren, Bulgaria from Winter 2007/2008

Dear sponsor,

The greatest of all holidays - Christmas, is coming close! And again, dear friend, it is time to share our activities throughout the passing year, as you are our valued partner in the joint mission we have undertaken - upbringing needy children in SOS Bulgaria. But before that I would like to express our most sincere gratitude for your support!

Presently seventy-one children live in SOS Children’s Village Dren. During the year we have fourteen new admissions - five girls and nine boys. At the beginning of September 2007 eleven children who will study in ninth grade left the village and accommodated at the SOS Youth Homes in Sofia capital. At the moment twenty-nine youths live there. One of the boys studies and lives in Cherni Osm town in a vocational school for mountain guides.

The children at the village are accommodated after official decision of the Child Protection Departments in Sofia. The reason for their accommodation in the SOS Children’s Village Dren is mainly due to impossibility for their parents to raise them - poverty, illnesses. We have as well one case of a child being abused by the biological family. All new comers adapt well at the village and the SOS mothers and the other child development personnel are doing their best for that to happen. There is an increasing demand for the care we offer at the village, which is mostly due to poor conditions in the specialized state institutions compared to the excellent quality of the care at SOS Children’s Village Dren.

Children's activities through the year

We have a few children, who have special educational needs. For them we have provided a tutor, who helps those children to buil up their capacities and in that way they gradually make up their delay in the educational process.

The children from SOS Children’s Village Dren attend the local school and they have good results. At the SOS village they attend numerous outdoor activities – sports, additional activities to support the children’s educational self preparation, various musical activities – guitar, drums, flute, choir, theatre, folklore, children’s arts workshop, and computers. From the beginning of the school year we formed a new section – taekuando, which raised great interest. We hope that participants shall develop all positive qualities to which marshal arts teach.

When necessary psychologist, speech therapist and two teachers at the village work with the children. Since October 2006 a volunteer from the Peace Corp of USA works at the village. He entered very well into the local village society and he is a favorite with the children.
During the vacations a special program of activities took place for the children. The aim of the program was everybody to find their own ways to enjoy the holidays. A large group of children spent ten days in a camp at Primorsko town, by the Black Sea. In Winter almost all children joined three-day outings and camps at Planinetz Hut on Vitosha Mountain riding sledges, skiing and hiking at the mountain.
It is indeed very important for me to mention participation of the sportsmen from our SOS village in the Spartakiada of SOS Children’s Villages Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia, which took place in the other Bulgarian SOS Children’s Village in Trjavna town. Our children from Dren won the first place on the general ranking and took the first places in basketball, football, table tennis and chest. The Spartakiada was an unforgettable experience for the children and also because of their numerous contacts with their coevals from Romania and Macedonia. The contacts established then continue developing and now.

The children, who participate in the folklore group, won the first place at the international competition of the folk song, which took place in Dren, and truly deserved the ovations of the audience. They themselves decided to postpone with one day their trip to their summer camp at the Black Sea, but to attend the competition and show their best for the audience, for which they received personal gratitude and certificates for excellent performance from the organisers and the mayor of Dren village.

Aiming for success

In September all our eight graders from the local school in Dren, thanks to their hard work, were admitted to study at specialised vocational high schools in Sofia capital chosen by them.

This summer we had two graduates, who completed their high school education and now they already find self-realisation at their new working places. The summer practices of the youths from the SOS Youth Homes were also successful. It was a possibility for them to meet new people and to learn more about different professions, also to earn funds for buying a computer or go on a long-dreamed trip.

At the beginning of 2007 we managed to open a new SOS Youth Home in Sofia, which consists of four cozy apartments for our youngsters. Furnishing and equipping were done entirely thanks to donations in kind from various companies and private persons. Many of the finishing-up tasks were carried out by the youths themselves.

Together with the successes of the children from the village, also I, as a new village director, have already gained one year of experience and I am glad that some of the ideas I had in September 2006 are already becoming true. We developed our staff with new SOS mothers and SOS aunts, youth coordinators at the SOS Youth Homes and we have a new social worker with whom we hopefully are closing the circle of qualified services we offer at the village and at the youth homes. We continue developing opportunities for the children in the area of education, outdoor activities and sports.

Important meetings also took place on the development of the Bulgarian SOS Association and its positive role providing social services for children took place on highest government level. On the second day the long experienced SOS mothers from both Bulgarian SOS children’s villages, got the highest SOS award for good work and long service - the SOS ring of honor.

We shall continue to do our best in helping children entrusted to our care until they are independent grown up adults and citizens of Bulgaria and the European Union.

We are all preparing to meet the forthcoming Christmas holidays. The SOS mothers with the help of the eldest girls prepare the twelve special traditional dishes without meat. The boys learn new Christmas songs and get ready to congratulate their neighbors. The greatest thrill is for the youngest - they are busy decorating their SOS homes expecting excitedly the presents from Santa Claus under the pine tree. And on the New Year’s Eve we shall all go up the hill above our village and shall shoot thousands of celebrating fireworks with the good hope of a generous and prosperous New Year to come - for us and for you - our sponsor!

Once again I would like to thank you for the support and partnership in our joint cause!

I wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New 2008 Year!

Yours sincerely,

Maryan Dyankov
Village Director