For the past few weeks, Ivaylo* has been living at Timok Youth House, a supported accommodation service run by CONCORDIA Bulgaria, where young people without a home or support can get back on their feet. Here, he has finally found a place of his own where he can begin planning his future with a sense of security.
“I’m happy that I finally have space for most of my plants. I used to have many more – over 30 pots,” he says with a smile, looking around his small but cosy room. Cacti, ficus trees, palms and other exotic houseplants fill the space.
These plants are more than just a hobby. They are his way of creating order and warmth where, for a long time, both were missing.
His room does not look like what people might consider a “typical boy’s room”. Everything is meticulously arranged. There is not a speck of dust. His own paintings hang on the walls. In the corner stands a plant he bought himself after receiving his first salary. A small gesture, but a clear sign – this is where he is beginning to build a home.
“I like everything to be clean. Some people find it strange, but that’s how I feel comfortable,” he says. Keeping things tidy is his way of bringing order to his life after years in which no one could promise him security.
Ivaylo arrived in Sofia by train, carrying a few clothes, a little money in his pocket and the determination to start over. In the small village where he had been working, he was wrongly accused of theft.
“I was already at the station, just metres away from the train, when my boss called me and said: ‘I saw that you didn’t take anything. The cameras showed everything.’ But it was already too late. I couldn’t get over being accused like that. I had made up my mind to look for something better for myself,” he recalls calmly, without anger or blame.
Having grown up in institutions and residential care, Ivaylo found himself on his own after turning 18 – like many other young people who leave the care system without a supportive adult by their side. For years, he took whatever work he could find, often earning barely enough to buy food.
When you talk to him, you will not hear complaints or self-pity. Quite the opposite – he is confident, composed and smiling. Genuinely smiling. He loves painting, Bulgarian folk dancing and cooking. He paints landscapes, portraits and works with religious themes, believing that his faith gave him strength when no one else could.
“God only helps you when you help yourself,” he says with wisdom beyond his years.
Dancing is his way of connecting with others. He dances every day, however and wherever he can.
“An outlet,” he says.
For the past few weeks, he has been working for a large supermarket chain. He appreciates being treated with respect and fairness there – something he rarely experienced before.
The team at CONCORDIA Bulgaria has helped him obtain the necessary documents, prepare for his job interview, settle into his new workplace and learn how to manage his budget. Once a week, he meets with the team to discuss his challenges and goals. They support him with administrative, health and psychological matters. Ivaylo regularly attends meetings with the team at the Hello Youth Complex, asking for advice, raising questions and seeking feedback – active, motivated and determined.
The social workers say that Ivaylo is an unusual case – he seems to carry a sense of home within himself:
“The young people here are free to arrange their rooms however they like, but he is the first one who brought plants. It shows self-respect and the way he relates to the world.”
That same sense of home and care can be seen in his small everyday rituals. Ivaylo makes his own bread and genuinely enjoys doing it.
“Now I’ll be able to cook for my roommates too. We’ll have dinner together and talk,” he says with a smile that speaks for itself.
It is a small moment. But for a young person who has spent years making his way through life alone, sharing a meal with others means a great deal.
The young man’s name has been changed.
CONCORDIA Bulgaria Foundation is a member of the National Network for Children (NNC) – Bulgaria’s largest network of more than 140 civil society organisations and activists working to protect and promote children’s rights. This year, the Network marks 20 years since its establishment.
Every year, more than 20,000 children and 150,000 families receive support from NNC and its member organisations.
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