SOS Community Fundraiser visits SOS Bulgaria

Two weeks ago Mary Pountain, SOS UK Communtiy Fundraiser, travelled to Bulgaria with Ian Chamberlain, a member of the Cambridge Supporters Group committee. The central focus of their visit was to find out more about the Family Strengthening Programme in Veliko Tarnovo as this has been chosen to be the beneficiary of the fundraising this year by the Cambridge Supporter’s Group.

Mary tells us more about her trip:

"We stayed in the SOS Children’s Village in Trjavna, where we were able to meet one of the SOS mothers and 3 of her children over breakfast. We felt very privileged to be welcomed into their lovely home. The Director of the Village showed us around the Village and told us about their cycling proficiency club and fishing club. In the art and craft room the children can express themselves creatively and learn new skills such as woodcarving.

We visited a Youth Home in Veliko Tarnovo, where the older children from the Children’s Village in Trjavna move to when they are in their mid-teens. They live in groups of 6-8 in the small apartments which make up the Youth Facility. Here they learn to live independently whilst attending the secondary schools in the town. They learn to budget, and to cook and look after themselves, but always having an adult available to guide them when they need advice or practical help.

During our visit to the Family Strengthening Programme in Veliko Tarnovo we met the Director and her team, all of whom are experienced social workers. The FSP works in conjunction with the Municipality and with another organisation which supports the Roma community. They work with many families who are under stress - e.g. single parents, families who are homeless or living with relatives in cramped conditions. About half are illiterate and a third come from the Roma minority community. The FSP is working to develop the capacity and resources to identify at-risk families early to try to prevent their situation from worsening. The FSP staff work hard to build parenting skills and to change attitudes. They know they can’t have much impact on a family’s underlying social status or economic situation but what they hope to do is give these families a different perspective that will help them to face their challenges more effectively.

On our way back we visited another of the four Bulgarian FSP’s in the town of Gabrovo. Our overall impression of all that we saw was of a high level of dedication and commitment by these highly qualified and passionate professionals, working to give children a better future".

Read more about the Cambridge Supporters Groups latest fundraising event here