Bulgaria
Bulgaria, a predominantly Orthodox Christian nation in the western Balkans, was a Communist state from 1944 until 1989.Rich in history and culture, Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe, dating back to 681 AD. Bulgaria is also home to Europe’s oldest inhabited city, Plovdiv, which has been in existence for 8,000 years.Mission Without Borders
Thanks to our generous sponsors, we have been working in Bulgaria since 2001. Currently we are supporting 189 families in three communities, helping them to develop their potential and find ways to provide for themselves.
Discover how we give emotional and material support to families who dream of a brighter future.
Communism and corruption
Bulgaria, a predominantly Orthodox Christian nation in the western Balkans, was a Communist state from 1944 until 1989. Dissent was punished harshly and thousands of people were imprisoned for political and religious reasons. Food shortages and shopping queues were common.
However, the transition to a market economy didn’t bring the prosperity that many hoped for. After the fall of communism, much of the country’s resources were allocated to a small number of corrupt individuals and families, while the vast majority of the population had little access to capital. Widespread corruption and years of economic crises followed, with hyperinflation in the 1990s decimating salaries and leading to mass protests.
Summer camp and support for children in orphanages
Mission Without Borders started up in Bulgaria in 2001, running summer camps for children living in orphanages. In 1989, when communism fell, there were 27,400 children (close to one in every 100 children) living in institutions in Bulgaria, and by 2001, that number had risen to 30,000.
The majority of children were not orphans, but there was little support for families struggling with poverty or disability, and orphanages were the only safety net. Institutions were also promoted as fostering a collective spirit and providing more effective care. The reality was very different.
At our summer camps, staff and volunteers shared the gospel with the children, communicated to them their value and worth, and gave them fun treats and experiences they would always remember. The team also visited the children at the orphanages throughout the year, offering consistent support.
Following a process of deinstitutionalisation, fewer than 1,200 children now live in orphanages in Bulgaria.
The EU’s poorest nation
Mission Without Borders’s next step in Bulgaria was to open Soup Kitchens in 2005 to support people struggling with poverty, and in 2008, we began supporting elderly and disabled people in Sofia.
Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 and while there have been improvements, today Bulgaria is the EU’s poorest nation, with 22% of the population living below the poverty line. Levels of corruption remain high – the second highest in the EU.
More than one in four children in Bulgaria live in poverty. Children here are more than twice as likely to live in severe material deprivation compared to the EU average.Mission Without Borders
As well as high levels of unemployment, low wages mean that in-work poverty is also a persistent problem in Bulgaria. Demographic trends, including an aging population and the emigration of young people, pose long-term challenges for Bulgaria's social and economic stability. Searching for work and better opportunities, at least 60,000 people move abroad every year.
Addressing poverty and homelessness
In response, in 2010, we began enrolling families on our family sponsorship programme in the south-west of Bulgaria. Many factories and plants were closed here after the transition to a market economy and there is a very high rate of unemployment. It is one of the poorest regions of Bulgaria, and many people are desperate and hopeless. Hygiene is at a critical level, many have no access to healthcare, families struggle to put food on the table and homes are in a state of disrepair.
We began our sponsorship programme first in Krupnik, and later in Gotse Delchev and then Ognyanovo, working mainly with Roma families. Our material, emotional and spiritual support aims to help families break out of poverty.
In 2012, we began addressing homelessness in Sofia with our Street Mercy programme, providing hot meals and practical and spiritual support.
Roma: a marginalised community
Bulgaria is home to one of Europe’s largest Roma populations, who experience high levels of discrimination and exclusion from housing, healthcare, education and employment opportunities.
86% of Roma families in Bulgaria are at risk of poverty, compared to 22% for the general population, according to the EU’s Agency for Fundamental Rights.Mission Without Borders
Although school segregation is prohibited in Bulgaria, it often occurs on a de facto level, with Roma children attending poorer quality schools than their Bulgarian peers. Many Roma parents also can’t cover the cost of school supplies, transport to school, lunches and clean clothing, and Roma children are far more likely to drop out of school early. Teenage marriage is also a risk.
A sustainable future for Roma families
At Mission Without Borders, we work closely with Roma families to find ways towards a sustainable future.
Discover the impact of our family sponsorship programme among Roma families.
Our after school clubs in Krupnik and Gotse Delchev are instrumental in ensuring that Roma children receive the support they need to stay in school and flourish – and many of the children we work with are the first of their families to study at secondary school and beyond.