Our Projects


At present, we are focusing our efforts mainly on introducing art and music activities in Bulgarian orphanages and on supporting the development of day centres for children with special needs. Here are some of the projects supported by Friends of Bulgaria. We are in the process of upgrading our website and will soon be adding a lot more information about our projects. 

 

Recent Projects

 

  • Stara Zagora, music project (teacher and equipment)
  • Stara Zagora, Home 44, physiotherapy
  • Plovdiv hospital, library and playroom
  • Troyan School Project
  • Karin Dom
  • Sofia Street Children Project (FSDB)

 


 

Stara Zagora Music Project

At the end of 2004 Friends of Bulgaria introduced music lessons in two orphanages in Stara Zagora and in the Home for Children with Mental disabilities in Petrovo, near Stara Zagora. FOB funds the music teacher (Vania Kostova) who covers the 3 homes. The results of introducing music and dance in the three homes exceeded all expectations and FOB decided to continue its support for the project.

 

 

 


Music in the Home for Mentally disabled Children in Petrovo Village, near Stara Zagora.

 

 

 

Day Centre in Troyan

 

Friends of Bulgaria set up a day centre for children with disabilities in the Ivan Hadjijski school in Troyan.  The centre is unique for Bulgaria - it integrates education of disabled children into a mainstream school. Over the few years of its existence the Centre proved a huge success and benefits not only the children who are educated in it but also the children in the main school who  have learned  to live together with children who have previously been isolated. Friends of Bulgaria continues to support the project.

 



The puppet theatre at Bulgarka home in Stara Zagora supported by Friends of Bulgaria



Choir at Penyo & Maria children's home 

 

In the summer of 2006, the charity ZOV UK is setting up a choir at Penyo & Maria children's home in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. The choir will be singing a range of Bulgarian, English and Roma folk music. The project was funded by Friends of Bulgaria and relied on the volunteers from ZOV UK. More funds will be needed in future. The choir was directed by Bozhena Tosheva and Katie Burningham. Bozhena lives in Veliko Tarnovo and has been singing Bulgarian folk music all her life; she has sung with the London Bulgarian Choir, Decibels, and recently with Balkan Beat Box at the Scala in London. Katie Burningham has been having singing tuition for the past four years and has performed with two choirs whilst at Oxford University. She has also worked with The RAP Yard, a community youth music project in East Oxford, and is therefore familiar with leading groups of young people in music. Deyan Kolev, who is the director of a project called Protecting and Popularising Roma Culture in Central Bulgaria and is also from Veliko Tarnovo, will help to arrange ensemble groups of musicians to perform Roma folk music for and with the children. There will be approximately 40 children participating in the project, ranging in age from 12 to 18.  (see  here for more information)

 

 

Star of Hope Projects

 

For some four years now Friends of Bulgaria has been supporting various projects run by Star of Hope, a local Bulgarian charity. Some of the recent projects include:

 

  • Funding speech therapy for Temenujka (a six-month course)
  • Renewed November 2007 - April 2008
  • Staff development camp at Baba Stana, near Troyan
  • Placement of Star of Hope social worker with YMCA Northants

 

You can read more about our past support of Start of Hope here.