All of One Heart Bulgaria's programs have the primary goal of improving the lives of children in Bulgaria's orphanages. We achieve this through sponsorships of individual orphanages, completion of special projects and the training of orphanage workers, to provide the children with a better life. Our efforts have the added benefit of supporting the local economy by purchasing locally produced foods and products and by employing local citizens, when possible, in carrying out our programs on the ground in Bulgaria. Our efforts are only limited by the amount of support we receive, the number of helping hands and giving hearts. Read below about our programs and find the best way for you to get involved with One Heart Bulgaria.
Orphanage Sponsorships
Through the Sponsorship program, One Heart enables individuals, families and groups to become involved in a very personal way in making a difference to a specific orphanage. Sponsors contribute the financial resources to provide all of the children in an orphanage with the most basic needs: nutrition, hygiene, access to medical care and therapy, and positive adult interaction. Equivalent to about $50 per child per year, the amount of a sponsorship depends on the number of children in the orphanage. For an orphanage with 40 children, a full sponsorship for one year equals $2,000 or about $167 per month. Because many orphanages have over 40 children—some even have more than 200—we offer half, quarter, and in some cases, eighth sponsorships that can be contributed over the course of a year.
Under the supervision of the foundation director in Bulgaria, the orphanage director and her staff use these funds to give the children what they need most:
- Food: Fresh fruits, vegetables and meat supplement the often-meager provisions that orphanages are normally able to provide.
- Hygiene: The basics—toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap and shampoo. Sponsorships also provide unique hygiene products and health-related products specific to the needs of an orphanage.
- Access to medical care: Regular trips to the doctor for checkups, plus emergency care and individual therapy.
- Adult interaction: Positive role models who dedicate time to simply interacting with the children, playing games and working on projects.
Sponsors often develop a relationship with the orphanage they are helping through letters, pictures, and reports form the orphanage director and the children. Sponsors see the real benefit that their support provides and receive satisfaction in their worthy contribution. Through creative thinking, sponsorships can become as personalized and unique as the individuals involved!
Read about Our Orphanages and learn about their challenges and opportunities. Then choose an orphanage that you, your family or your group would like to sponsor and contact our Sponsorship coordinator, Deborah Dushku Gardner (deborah@oneheart-bg.org) to set up a sponsorship schedule.
Eyrealm Training Program
One Heart Bulgaria is excited to partner with the Eyrealm Foundation to develop and provide a training program for workers in Bulgarian orphanages. Workers in the orphanages we visit are often tired and disillusioned after years of physically and emotionally draining labor. Most workers settle for orphanage jobs when they can't find any other kind of work. They receive little training and are required to care for large groups of children. The result is that the children receive only the most basic care and do not get the positive adult interaction they require to become healthy and successful adults.
This program is designed to develop appropriate skills and attitudes in the workers, while at the same time helping them understand the importance of their work as a role model—someone who is shaping the future of Bulgaria. Trainings cover such topics as child development, the rights of children, positive behavior management, social skills development, and understanding the needs of children with disabilities.
Four training dates are planned for the coming year. Orphanages who wish to participate commit to sending each member of their staff to at least one training session a year, and orphanage directors are invited to attend all trainings. Participating orphanages will receive a small grant at the end of the training cycle, part of which is earmarked to fund training-related initiatives: the purchase of books and toys, equipment, child development resources for the staff, etc.
The development cost for this program is supported by a grant from the Eyrealm Foundation, and One Heart Bulgaria is committed to raising the funds necessary to fully implement the program.
The orphanage workers are often the closest thing to parents that these children have. By contributing to the Training program, you can help to provide these surrogate parents with the knowledge and skills they need to bring up a large family. To contribute to the training program, contact our training director, Saren Looslie.
Our Programs