ZOV UK Newsletter 3, November 2006

Welcome to the 3rd ZOV UK newsletter. Since we last contacted you, ZOV UK has been working very hard to strengthen the success of our current projects and embark upon new ones. None of this would be possible without your help, and we hope that you will enjoy reading about how your support is having a direct impact on the lives of children in institutional care in Bulgaria.

About ZOV UK

ZOV UK is a registered charity working for the improvement of the living conditions of disadvantaged children in Bulgaria. These children are predominantly, although not exclusively, under state care. We are one of the few UK charities working directly in Bulgaria, rather than simply providing money in the form of grants. This means that we are well positioned through our local contacts to find the projects that will help the children the most, and to ensure that money goes where it is needed. We believe that it is important to invest in projects which help the children in the long term, through education and integration with society, enabling them to have a productive and happy life after leaving the orphanages. All our UK staff are volunteers, so we have no overhead costs; all of the money that we receive goes directly into the projects we run, and while we are based in the UK and raise funds here, we have strong Bulgarian participation in the running and direction of the charity.

Current Projects

ZOV UK Minibus

Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) very kindly donated a seventeen seater minibus to ZOV UK, and the Swindon M4 Van Centre provided servicing and invaluable advice to enable us to drive the bus to Bulgaria this summer. Passing through France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia, it took six days and over 3000km to reach our destination of Veliko Tǔrnovo in central Bulgaria. It was a tiring but enjoyable journey for the four ZOV UK members who went along, and was made all the more rewarding by the knowledge that once in Bulgaria, the minibus will be put to vital use by ZOV UK on various projects. In the process, we used the bus to deliver twenty five bags of clothes, shoes, nappies, lotion and soft toys to three institutions in Medven, Bogdanovo and Sliven in Bulgaria. At present we are working with the local authorities to register the bus as a Bulgarian vehicle.

ZOV UK Education Centre

During May, June and July this year, ZOV UK funded a pilot education scheme whereby children from Penyo and Maria Children's Home in Veliko Tǔrnovo were offered English tuition at an education centre in the town. The scheme highlighted the strong desire for English lessons and supported the children's ongoing language study at school. It also helped us to get to know the children that we are working with much better. To the left and right you can see some pictures of what the children want the education centre to look like, and some quotes from them explaining how they would like the education centre to be.

One of the biggest difficulties facing children in institutional care, and which they most often spoke to us about, is the problem of what happens when they leave the home at 18. The majority of children do not complete their school education and leave without the qualifications necessary for work or further study. Although speaking English is a key skill for the children, especially in terms of their employability, it is vital that their general education adequately prepares them for independent life outside of institutional care.

Homework support in a wide range of subjects, and English tuition, will now be offered within Penyo and Maria children's home itself. We would like to see education as an integral aspect of the children's lives and for the ZOV UK education centre's work to become part of their home life, rather than an extension of school. The director and staff of Penyo and Maria, Mrs. Bankavo, has given her full support to this move by offering the use of a large room within the home for the children's learning.

During our visit this summer, four ZOV UK members and a band of very keen volunteers from the children's home redecorated the room. With vibrant colours, a new soft floor, photos of the children and new learning materials, it is now a welcoming and inspiring place to come and learn. As the children were involved from day one, they have a strong sense of ownership, and we hope that they will use it as a place to nurture their potential for a brighter future. Ventislava Koleva, a lecturer in Arabic and Linguistics at Veliko Tǔrnovo University, has been appointed as the English teacher; she has quickly struck up an excellent rapport with the children.

The room has five computers with internet access, which will be supervised by a member of the home's administrative staff. It will be open initially for four hours per week, at the weekends as well as weekdays in order to fit around the children's school and work commitments. The project is being assessed monthly, and a full report will be available in mid-March.

From all the time that we have spent talking to the children at Penyo and Maria children's home, it is clear that they all want to learn, and that they hope for brighter futures. As with any children, all they need is the encouragement and support from caring people in a caring environment to help them achieve their goals.

Penyo and Maria's Children's Choir

Thanks to a generous grant from the Friends of Bulgaria, ZOV UK ran a music project this summer at Penyo and Maria children's home. In just two weeks, a group of ten children formed a choir, recorded a CD of their music, and put on a concert at the home for other children and staff. From our experience of working in Bulgaria, we have found that childen in care have difficulty concentrating on any activity for any length of time.

The idea of the choir was to provide something that would not only entertain the children during their summer break, but also help to focus their attention by working on something with a clear structure and tangible end result - a recording and a performance. It was a great achievement for the children and they are continuing their singing with a Christmas concert.

Please contact katie@zovuk.org.uk if you would like a copy of the CD.

Bogdanovo Boarding School, Bogdanovo, near Nova Zagora, Bulgaria

During our summer 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 working on is based at a boarding school in Bogdanovo, which offers education and accommodation to approximately 150 children, aged between 6 and 18. The children that stay 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 this summer, 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 without any central heating they sleep under old, thin and dirty bed covers. Despite the hot summer weather, winter temperatures in Bulgaria are on average 0°C, 10 degrees colder than those in the UK.

ZOV UK has already purchased and delivered 70 new bed sets (woollen blankets, cover sheets, mattress sheets, pillows and pillow cases). We hope to purchase a further 70 in order to better equip the school for the harsh winter ahead, and for future winters. For more information on how you can help, you can read the current Bogdanovo project page, or email charlotte@zovuk.org.uk. Each set costs just £12.

In this newsletter, we would also like to give special thanks to Mary, Jessica and Elsie from Oxford, who donated learning and play materials to the boarding school, which the children and staff were very happy to receive.

Medven

In May this year, the Sunday Times ran an article about a home for children with mental and physical difficulties in Medven, Bulgaria. It highlighted the problems facing the staff at the home - namely a severe lack of funds and resources to enable them to offer meaningful care and attention to the children. In response to this article, a group of women in the south of England got together and collected twenty huge bags of clothing and nappies for the home. They got in contact with ZOV UK to see how to deliver these items, and as we were already driving out in a minibus, we offered to take their aid with us. The staff at the home were extremely grateful for the aid, and said that such kind offers of help would make a real difference to the children. Unfortunately, due to a hepatitis A outbreak, and renovations to the home, we were unable to go into the building itself this summer. However, we hope to keep in contact with the home's Director, in order to see how we might be able to support them in the future.

Thanks to:

ZOV UK has received invaluable help this summer from a wide range of people and organisations. We believe the following list is complete; but if you spot any omissions, please be assured they are unintentional. You can draw them to our attention by emailing web@zovuk.org.uk.

Tom Gallagher, M4 Van Hire St. Mary's Church, Woodbridge Melanie Forrester Marie Halbherr Jani Jacomb-Hood Toni and Susi Dyer Josefa Henry-Bochan The Bulgarian Embassy Friends of Bulgaria Alex Robinson

Katerina Zlatkova Nikolay Nikolov Justin Macrae Ben Dyer Ana Izvorska Louise Tunstall Jonathan McHugh Sam Shelton International Institute for Environment and Development Matt Ford

Open Gate Krasimir Vasilev Diana Rowley Williams Elsie Rose Tyrell Ipswich School Luke Ferris Ventislava Koleva Mary and Jessica McHugh

Contact Details

You can contact us at info@zovuk.org.uk; donations are welcome from members of the public. Alternatively you can use our postal address: