Bulgarian Children

Bulgarian children often have a tough life, living in impoverished conditions, and you can help by adopting a child or raising awareness about abandoned children in Bulgaria.

Children in Bulgaria are often abandoned by parents who can no longer afford to look after them. The toughest cases tend to be away from the bigger cities when the local economy fails families and they either struggle to feed their family or give the children away to orphanages.

The bigger cities are better at providing welfare and benefits to struggling families, but the country as a whole does rely on a certain amount of foreign aid for help. At an individual level, you can help by adopting a child or raising awareness about abandoned children in Bulgaria.

Adoption

Adopting children in Bulgaria can be a lengthy process; however, do not let that deter you, as the adoption route here is significantly less strenuous than that you might encounter in a western country.

Bulgarian (and Romani children in particular) are needy of homes and often orphanages struggle financially to provide for the numbers of children admitted. This makes adoption from the country more viable, but the process is still rigorous enough to deter unsuitable parents, and you will be asked to meet the following criteria to adopt:

• Be at least 15 years older and no more than 45 years older than the child – this is to ensure a long-term family arrangement for adopted Bulgarian children. If you are part of a married couple, the adoption agencies will normally take the age of the younger parent into account.
• Be able to visit the country twice before adopting, and at least one of these visits needs to be of five days or longer to prove your dedication to the adoption. This time will also allow you to complete the necessary paperwork, as well as get a feel for the customs and language of the country.
• Earn the equivalent of at least 20,000 Euros a year to ensure that the child is going to receive a better standard of life than it has left behind in Bulgaria. The local authorities will usually ask for wage slips or bank statements as proof of your ability to provide financially for the child.

Interestingly, very few adoption agencies for Bulgarian children require you to have any language skills or and personal connections to the country. The whole process will take around 18 months from start to finish, so be prepared to be patient once you’ve handed in the original application.

Volunteering

A lot of volunteer organizations are doing some great charitable work to assist the underprivileged children of Bulgaria. If you are willing to travel to Bulgaria to help out, you can sign up with one of the Western charities who provide volunteers to orphanages for a month or two at a time. If you have any Bulgarian language skills, you can volunteer as a teacher or as part of the social services acting as a translator during the adoption process. To assist with some volunteer activites you can contact some reputable organizations here on the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/bulgarias-children.shtml

Fundraising

You can do simple things such as doing a sponsored run or hike, but if you are interested in raising awareness of the situation in Bulgaria, you could organize a Bulgarian themed ball. You then charge for the tickets and donate the profits from the bar to your chosen charity. The party could have a Bulgarian dress code, with traditional food and wine from each local region being served. As a grand finale, you could teach the whole guest list an authentic Bulgarian dance to perform together at the ball.

For most people, travel to Bulgaria is not feasible due to financial or time constraints, but you can still help by fundraising for charities that work with Bulgarian children.