Two hours of conversation were needed to psychologists from the Bulgarian branch of the British charity “Hope and Homes for Children” to convince a 30-year-old Roma woman, running in the street, to go home with her newborn.
She firmly stated in the hospital that she did not want the child, as she had no place to live and two older children from a previous marriage. Experts from Plovdiv branch of the organization came to the hospital and had her take care of the child.
The promise to help her for six months with the provision of diapers, milk, clothes and cosmetics for the boy convinced the woman to do it.
“Hope and Homes for Children – Bulgaria” has a tripartite agreement with the Ministry of Health, the State Agency for Child Protection and the Social Assistance Agency. The NGO was able to prevent the abandonment of 100 children from Plovdiv and the region within one year of its entry into force.
Another success of “Hope and Homes for Children – Bulgaria” is the creation of a coordination mechanism for deinstitutionalization in Plovdiv. When there is a particularly complicated case, all responsible parties – representatives of the regional government, the municipality, the social services, the Ministry of Interior, the Department for Child Protection gather to decide it.
Source: marica.bg
Photo: flickr/taschik
