News
d@ta.hesed! If not now – when ?!
Now – in a state of emergency, it’s time to enjoy the comfort of our homes, to clean and rearrange – to take care of our own houses.
HESED is starting a new exciting project that will help us do this – the project „Enhancing capacity and sustainability of HESED trough introducing an e-system for collecting and preserving personal data – d@ta.hesed“. The project is granted by Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of EEA Grants 2014-2021.
Trough d@ta.hesed we will introduce an electronic database and we will provide better working conditions for our colleagues and better service to our customers in the three major communities we work with.
Every crisis offers opportunities! For us, Covid 19 is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity to optimize our work and make it even more efficient!
d@ta.hesed! If not now – when ?!
Project DREAMS
We met our Belgian and Romanian partners in Timisoara to complete the Digital Storytelling training – Maks vzw, All Digital, and Institutul Intercultural Timisoara. This was part of project DREAMS (Digital Education Among Roma Minorities in Schools), which aims to expose and reduce educational and spatial segregation of marginalized Roma communities using Digital Storytelling as method.
New volunteers
We have new volunteers! Our U.S. Embassy friends came to meet the children in one of our centers for integrated development and helped them decorate Christmas ornaments. The kids were thrilled and the volunteers were happy to learn about our work in the community.
Father’s Weeк
Тhe culmination of Father’s Week was the participation of fathers, grandfathers and uncles in sports games and fun at the sports field in Fakultata neighborhood. Thanks to Tulip Foundation for the financial support for this event! Every day last week, fathers and grandfathers visited our preschool groups, and read books, made cookies, taught drawing, and how to use a professional camera. For both the children and the men in their lives, these are exceptional moments of excitement and pride, the memories of which remain for life!
Don’t discriminate, cooperate!
The final conference for Bulgaria “Don’t discriminate, cooperate!”, part of the European youth project STORY_S, was held in Sofia. We brought together 160 representatives of civil society and institutions, high school and university students, who discussed raising awareness of discrimination and an active participation of youth in society. Two mentors and several mentored students shared with us what they gained from the mentoring program. We discussed the results of the project and the materials “Handbook for peer-to-peer mentoring” and “Guidelines: Raising awareness and contrasting discrimination with youth”. You can view and download the materials we prepared with our partners from Italy, Spain and Romania at: https://www.projectstorys.eu/materials/.
Final Conference in Bulgaria: STORY_S Youth Project
On November 13, 9:00-13:00 p.m. we will hold the final conference “Don’t discriminate, cooperate! STORY_S Youth Project” at the House of Europe (124 Rakovski St). Please register here: https://forms.gle/tuJAjHRvUC3i3HRn6.
The project includes a mentoring program and an anti-discrimination campaign developed by youth and targeted against discrimination: racial, ethnic, gender, disability, LGBTQI and all other types, exclusion or violence.
The event will bring together representatives of civil society and institutions, the media, high school and university students to discuss raising awareness of discrimination and the active participation of young people in society.
Father’s Day
Our three centers in Sofia celebrated International Father’s Day. The Roma children made cards for their fathers and wrote messages to them. We conducted an informational campaign in the community about the important role that fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and brothers play.
Thanks to Tulip Foundation for the art materials!
Children’s Day
We participated in an event organized by Sofia Municipality dedicated to Children’s Day, presenting the work of non-governmental organizations working in the social sphere.
Psychologists, educators and social workers from HESED organized outdoor activities for children, young people and families. Activities included art-workshops, games and talks with parents. We highlighted the methods “Play with Me – Toys Library” and MOVE (developing skills through physical and sports games for children and young people). The parents and children were very interested in our work and despite the rain, spirits were high!
Discrimination awareness workshops
The three-day awareness raising workshops on discrimination took place as part of the project “Story_S – Springboard to Roma Youth Success”. They served to prepare an anti-discrimination campaign planned and conducted by the youth themselves. We discussed the various types of discrimination, the students gave examples from their daily lives, and in small groups started to plan the future campaign, which will be held in 10 places chosen by the participants.
