Bogdanovo Boarding School Project
Winter in Bulgaria for orphans
One of the challenges that faces those caring for orphans and children abandoned by their parents in Bulgaria is the harsh winter. Despite the warm summers, the average temperature in Bulgaria in winter is 0°C - ten degrees colder than England. Institutions such as Bogdanovo face an uphill battle to keep their dilapidated and uninsulated buildings warm without central heating and often without sufficient money for fuel or blankets.
Bogdanovo Boarding School
During our Summer 2006 trip to Bulgaria, ZOV UK members were introduced to Nikolay Nikolov, who lives and works in the region of Sliven. He is a priest who dedicates much of his time to running projects aimed at alleviating poverty and improving the quality of life of many groups within the community. One of the projects that he is workingon is based at Bogdanovo Boarding School. The school offers education and accommodation to about 150 children, aged between six and eighteen. The children at the school have often experienced domestic violence or simply cannot be looked after in their own home. The school acts as a refuge, offering children education and somewhere safe to stay.
As you can see from the photos, taken by ZOV UK members in summer 2006, the school is in an extremely bad condition. It receives inadequate funding to cater for the children's welfare and education. Despite clear attempts to provide a safe and caring environment, the living conditions remain appalling. There are four toilets for all of the children; 60 sleep in each bedroom on dilapidated bunk beds; and there is no central heating.
To offer some emergency help in this situation, ZOV UK fundraised through 2006, and was able to purchase and deliver 140 new bed sets (woolen blankets, blanket cover sheets, mattress sheets, pillows and pillow cases), replacing the old, thin and dirty sheets.
We intend to continue working with Bogdanovo and Nikolay on a project-by-project basis. It is vital that we work closely with people on the ground in Bulgaria, so that we can channel funds to where they are needed most, and know exactly where our funds and your support is going.
