{"id":111565,"date":"2026-07-30T15:29:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T12:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/?p=111565"},"modified":"2026-08-18T10:09:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T07:09:55","slug":"ivaylo-and-the-home-that-begins-with-one-room-and-a-few-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/ivaylo-and-the-home-that-begins-with-one-room-and-a-few-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"Ivaylo and the Home That Begins with One Room and a Few Plants"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past few weeks, Ivaylo* has been living at Timok Youth House<\/strong>, a supported accommodation service run by CONCORDIA Bulgaria<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy that I finally have space for most of my plants. I used to have many more \u2013 over 30 pots,\u201d he says with a smile, looking around his small but cosy room. Cacti, ficus trees, palms and other exotic houseplants fill the space.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

His room does not look like what people might consider a \u201ctypical boy\u2019s room\u201d. 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 \u2013 this is where he is beginning to build a home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like everything to be clean. Some people find it strange, but that\u2019s how I feel comfortable,\u201d he says. Keeping things tidy is his way of bringing order to his life after years in which no one could promise him security.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was already at the station, just metres away from the train, when my boss called me and said: \u2018I saw that you didn\u2019t take anything. The cameras showed everything.\u2019 But it was already too late. I couldn\u2019t get over being accused like that. I had made up my mind to look for something better for myself,\u201d he recalls calmly, without anger or blame.<\/p>\n

Having grown up in institutions and residential care, Ivaylo found himself on his own after turning 18 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

When you talk to him, you will not hear complaints or self-pity. Quite the opposite \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod only helps you when you help yourself,\u201d he says with wisdom beyond his years.<\/p>\n

Dancing is his way of connecting with others. He dances every day, however and wherever he can.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn outlet,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

For the past few weeks, he has been working for a large supermarket chain. He appreciates being treated with respect and fairness there \u2013 something he rarely experienced before.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong>, asking for advice, raising questions and seeking feedback \u2013 active, motivated and determined.<\/p>\n

The social workers say that Ivaylo is an unusual case \u2013 he seems to carry a sense of home within himself:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I\u2019ll be able to cook for my roommates too. We\u2019ll have dinner together and talk,\u201d he says with a smile that speaks for itself.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The young man\u2019s name has been changed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

CONCORDIA Bulgaria Foundation<\/strong> is a member of the National Network for Children (NNC)<\/strong> \u2013 Bulgaria\u2019s largest network of more than 140 civil society organisations and activists working to protect and promote children\u2019s rights. This year, the Network marks 20 years since its establishment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Every year, more than 20,000 children and 150,000 families<\/strong> receive support from NNC and its member organisations.<\/p>\n

Support our work with a monthly donation at nmd.bg\/donate<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428,"featured_media":111566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[82,308],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news_en","category-stories-from-the-heart-of-the-network","newsletter_cat-news-from-the-nnc-office"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/428"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111565"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111567,"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111565\/revisions\/111567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmd.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}