Interest in her project soon grew among family members and friends, and before long another orphanage was receiving monthly help. In December of 2000, Glyn and a group of interested friends delivered Christmas presents and medical supplies to the orphanages. Another humanitarian shipment was made the next year, arriving on Christmas Day. By this time serious discussions had begun about the possibility of incorporating as a non-profit organization.

In March of 2003, the dream became a reality—One Heart Bulgaria incorporated both as a non-profit organization in America, and as a non-profit foundation in Bulgaria. In the year and a half following the incorporation, One Heart Bulgaria has expanded quickly to impact the lives of over 850 children living in ten orphanages in Western Bulgaria.

One Heart Bulgaria is unique in its ability to serve the children living in Bulgarian orphanages. We begin by building strong relationships with the orphanage directors. These men and women have a great deal of influence over the day to day life of the children under their care. We become partners with them in providing the most efficient help possible, tailored to fit the children's specific needs.

Because we design each sponsorship to match each orphanage, we are able to be flexible when emergencies arise. Last year, for example, we were asked by the Ministry of Child Protection to provide heating fuel for a remote orphanage. A sponsor was quickly found and the necessary funds were sent to the orphanage, helping them get through a particularly difficult winter. The sponsorship has continued throughout the year and has developed into a wonderful relationship.

Each member of the board and all members of our operations team have a strong connection to Bulgaria and deep interest in the orphanages we sponsor. Most members of the board have personally visited the orphanages and interacted with the children. The compassion we feel for these children is heightened by the fact that we know them—we have seen, held, cuddled, and played with almost every child in the orphanages we sponsor. This is a tradition that we will definitely continue.

One Heart Bulgaria is interested in providing long-term solutions for the problems in these children's lives. We support and encourage self-sustaining projects and look for ways to help the orphanages help themselves. One of our projects this year includes introducing an economical and efficient cloth diapering system so that precious resources aren't wasted on disposable diapers. Other projects support the formation of work/study programs and orphanage owned incentives.

Worker training is an important part of One Heart Bulgaria's goals for the future. We encourage orphanage workers to participate in job training that will help them learn skills necessary to provide focused, loving care to the children they interact with every day, regardless of age or ability.

In the USA, everyone connected with One Heart Bulgaria works as an unpaid volunteer. The expenses are kept to a minimum, with funds used mostly for printing, mailing and travel.

In Bulgaria, One Heart Bulgaria has two full-time employees—the director, and a counselor who also serves as an assistant director. There are also three part-time One Heart representatives, working directly with the children in each orphanage. They, as well as the counselor, are funded directly from the sponsorship for the orphanage they serve.

Co-founder:
    Deborah Dushku Gardner

Trustees:
    Heidi Glyn Barker
    Deborah Dushku Gardner
    Kelly King Anderson

Executive Director:
    Deborah Dushku Gardner

Field Director:
    Nikolay Gavazov

Board President:
    Ivan Djambov

Board Members:
    Deborah Dushku Gardner
    Saren Looslie
    Chelsia Eyre