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Botevgrad Slideshow
Travel Blogs from Botevgrad, Bulgaria
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All change- but what about the kids?
Today the team headed north east to familiar territort around the town of Botevgrad where we visited three orphanages and the House of Joshua, the first Trussell Trust funded project in our House of Opportunity Programme. Vidrare is home to 90 severely ...
What do you give somone who has so little?
As our van loaded with Christmas Boxes arrived in Skravena Roma Community, barefoot children excitedly ran to meet us. With big, inquisitive smiles they welcomed us and waited (almost patiently) to get their Christmas Shoebox. This was the highlight and ...
Santa's new groove- Sasho has all the moves.
... Sasho! Check out the video for the highlights of our Christmas box distribution... Other drops were made to our friends at Botevgrad Methodist Church and Lora Foundation. Finally we ended the day at Tedy's house for a small party to celebrate her ...
The lorry arrives!
... for friendly staff and good quality clothing by the way). All the money generated by Second Chance goes back into the Bulgaria projects to help the Trussell Trust Bulgaria to cover its running costs. Meetings with Mr Petkov to finalise our distribution ...
Roma communities, schools and kindergartens
... grandchild was with the box and how much they treasured it - amazing to hear! The last visit of the day was to Botevgrad Roma Community, a much bigger camp than Scravena, here the same excitement ensued and Ani had to work even harder to control the ...
To Sofia
Wow, what a weekend! We have been all over everywhere delivering boxes and are now pretty tired, though we've had some amazing experiences which make up for a lack of sleep. Saturday started with giving Christmas Boxes to the young people in The House ...
Big Sunday
What an amazing day! We left Sofia at 0845 and made our way the 85km back to Botevgrad so that we could distribute Christmas boxes after a service at the local Methodist Church there. Pastor Georgi and his congregtion always make us feel welcome and ...
Skopje to Skravena
... our tent outside a service station on the Sofia ring road. The next morning we had made it to Skravena, a little village near Botevgrad that is the home of our dear friends, Rennie and Svetan (the unofficial chiefs of the village). It is so great to ...
Travail, triumph and triage...
... to load the coach and we were soon on our way. Then it was back to the warehouse to load the big van for Botevgrad and Skravena Roma communities. With both vehicles now fully loaded we convoyed back Botevgrad in the pooring rain for a rendezvous at HoJ ...
That's that then...
... staff and especially the school director, our friend Mr Petkov. The school in Lipnitsa is an unofficial orphanage; until recently Botevgrad municipality provided funds for the school to provide food and accommodation for some of the very poorest and most ...
Probably not the longest day, but long enough.
... will be ready to get on with the job together with some volunteers that Tedy (The Trussell Trust's National Development Co-ordinator in Bulgaria) has found for us. It was really good to see Tedy and Mimi again. Both are Christmas box veterans now but ...
Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards
With van number one still refusing to play ball thanks to a frozen fuel line we had no choice but to load everyone including the young residents from House of Joshua into van number two for our much anticipated trip up the mountain to ...
In the soup
Today was our first full day with the Lipnitsa kids and full really is the word. Another day of beautiful sunshine allowed us to get to the sea early to make the most of the morning. After yesterday's strong wind and large waves the sea was really calm ...
A sad end,a new beginning.
... places. It is always the same for gypsies everywhere. Our heart is for the children here. The Roma community in Botevgrad was a pretty nasty, dangerous place as regular Trust supporters will know. We have worked here before, both through our ...
Something to shout about
... the local DIY store to buy some paraffin for fire juggling next week! Together with Miryana and Valya our two vans convoy back to Botevgrad to drop off boxes at the Methodist Church there. As ever it is a pleasure to meet Pastor Georgi and hear ...
Fun in the sun
... resolutley staying in the 35C+ bracket all this activity made for a very hot morning. Around 10% of the population of Bulgaria live in conditions like the ones you see in the pictures. There really are no easy solutions to the problems, predjudices and ...
Big day
... thingy. For a decade now the Trust has run a summer camp for the children of Lipnitsa Orphanage/School situated near to Botevgrad, Bulgaria. Every summer the school closes and for many of the children who live there this means returning to Roma familes ...
Somebody else's shoes
Today we say goodbye to Chrissy and Pete, but not before a final trip to Skravena Roma Gypsy Camp. After our last visit we decided that we had to return with all Pete's juggling gear and put on a show. Some of the children were at school but ...
To Bulgaria, with love (again).
... of Skravena and hook up with the translators who will be joining us for the camp. This year the team are: Laura Ferguson (Bulgaria intern) Grace Henney (two time SC vet) Fraser Henney (Grace's husband and SC newby) Emma Milsom Jenny Riley Marie Hancock ...
The art and craft of shooting hoops.
After the debacle that was Rich forgetting to set his alarm clock to Bulgarian time we eventually got going after a teensy lie in. Today was all about getting our materials for the arts and craft sessions up together and getting to know our translators ...
The key to our success
Well day 2 is now at an end; the team has been joined by the Coles and the Fosters and all is well... The House of Joshua (HoJ) has been looking after young Bulgarian state care leavers since September 2007, with the project now beginning its ...
School daze
Today the team went back to school in Skravena, a village close to Botevgrad that has been home to our first House of Opportunity for more than 5 years. we visited the kindergareth too; be warned, some of the following pictures and video contain ...
All fine in the end
... and kindergarten to give out Christmas boxes which is always a pleasure. Skravena is a typical Bulgarian village near to the town of Botevgrad and we have been distributing at the school for a fair few years now. The village is home to the House of ...
Are we there yet?
It's fair to say that this is probably not anyone’s favourite day of the Summer Camp trip; not least because of the in-human starting hour in the small hours of the morning. Pete Cole started the morning with -50 points for his "are we there yet" ...
It's a bit hot
Today has been about forward thinking- not something we can always be credited with but occasionally we think about stuff before we do it. Not that the results improve but we feel it's best to show willing. This am the youth team spent some time on their ...
Lost & found
... and endlessley enthustiastic camp supporter/fundraiser. Leading the youth team, but not so youthful himself these days, is Rich Parsons, Bulgaria Operations Manager (UK) for the Trussell Trust. Joining us again this year are Pete & Maggie Cole ...
Young or old
... Prison and pass some boxes to Mick Cooper of Phoenix Inspire. The small van trod more familiar territory visiting orphanages in the Botevgrad area. Actually the first stop was an old folks home that has only been open a couple of years. We weren't aware ...
Just don't drink it...
Our first full day in Bulgaria saw the sun blazing away and the arrival of the SC translation team to join the fun. Peter, Bogi and Viki have been on this trip before but for Radostina this is all new; we'll be nice to her for a couple of days... This ...
Old friends - new possibilities
Saturday gets off to a frustrating, slow start as we decide that today is the day to get our "naughty" van sorted. Unfortunately this meant the morning was lost waiting for the mechanic from the hire firm to arrive and get it going. Turns out that on top ...
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