Initiated by BG4UA, together with the Foundation BCause, fundraising campaign "NEW BEGINNING for Ukrainian women and children in Bulgaria" is entering a new stage.
The campaign will direct BGN 210,000 - a large part of the funds collected so far - to support the Integration Center for Ukrainian Refugees of the "For Good" Foundation, which has played a key role in solving the refugee crisis since the first days of the war. The purpose of the funding is to largely ensure the functioning of the center for the next six months.
As of June 13, Monday, the center is expanding its activities and services and moving to a new address: 1 Filip Kutev St., Hladilnika Quarter, Overgaz Inc. head office. AD in Sofia.
The purpose of the change is to facilitate the integration of Ukrainian refugees - mainly women and children.
The center will provide humanitarian aid, hourly childcare, assistance in obtaining temporary protection status, assistance in accessing legal aid, psychological assistance, medical care, assistance in administrative matters (social and health insurance, school enrollment). It will provide support in accommodation and job search and in the organization of language courses.
The donation will be used mainly to maintain a qualified team for the listed services - to pay salaries/fees, remuneration of external services and materials. To date, the "For Good" foundation has helped more than 10,000 Ukrainians.
"Our partnership with the "For Good" Foundation is key for us as the organizers of NEW BEGINNING, as it corresponds to the original idea of the campaign, namely - to support Ukrainian citizens, and mainly children and mothers, in their adaptation to the environment in our country." says Elina Zheleva, a member of the Campaign Board.
"It was at this moment that the support of "NEW BEGINNING for Ukrainian women and children in Bulgaria" was extremely important for us, in order to continue the operation of our support center on the scale that we were able to realize in the last 3 months", said Kremena Kuneva, founder of "For the good", on the day of the conclusion of the partnership. "At the edge of all our capabilities, without this partnership we probably wouldn't have managed to provide this whole package of services and capabilities. In addition to material support, it is of great importance for us to give these people emotional support as well. We are happy that through our work we have built the trust necessary for this new partnership and even friendship!” she added.
"For the Good" Foundation has an undeniable authority and proven effectiveness in dealing with several crises so far, including in the first critical months of the pandemic, and separately we admire their efforts in improving children's health care in Bulgaria with the repair of 4 children's wards so far. says Max Gurwitz, initiator of BG4UA.
What has "NEW BEGINNING for Ukrainian women and children in Bulgaria" achieved so far?
For the last months, within the framework of the NEW BEGINNING campaign, nearly 1,300 refugees from the war in Ukraine throughout Bulgaria have been supported in the direction of social integration, education, psychological and therapeutic support, Bulgarian language lessons, educational workshops, sports activities, with the sum of 304,000 BGN.
With funds from the campaign, a Crisis Fund with 80,000 BGN was created to cover urgent needs, which is currently being used to help with the dynamic situation with the relocation of refugees. The emergency support currently provides sustenance for over 360 Ukrainian citizens with a total value of nearly BGN 45,000, accommodated in six state bases. The support is planned until June 15, when the food will be taken over by the bases.
The company works in three directions – supporting organizations throughout Bulgaria that work actively on the ground with refugees, covering urgent needs with the specially created fund and planning a sustainable long-term base for supporting mothers and children from Ukraine in Bulgaria.
Corporate donations are the main contributor to the campaign, with NEXO being the largest donor. The other major donors are EKONT, TBI Bank, Endeavor, Accenture, A Data Pro and Scalefocus. The campaign has so far been supported by 301 donors who make the support possible.
For BG4UA
#BG4UA "Bulgaria for Ukraine" is an initiative of Bulgarian entrepreneurs, representatives of the technological community and friends of Ukraine in support of those fleeing the horror of war.
The initiative was launched on the first day of the war. It started with the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens who chose Bulgaria as their temporary home. It was created platform, which brought together 3,000 volunteers - people and organizations from all over Bulgaria who offer housing, voluntary work and basic support. A volunteer contact center accommodates and provides assistance to Ukrainians in the first moments of their arrival in Bulgaria.
Together with the BCause Foundation, BG4UA continues with the NEW BEGINNING fundraising campaign. The goal is to ensure the most humane possible reception of refugees from Ukraine and a chance for life in Bulgaria.
About the For Good Foundation
The cause of the Foundation "For Good" is to care for children and create a friendly environment for their treatment and education. The foundation has mobilized thousands of volunteers and donors in its nearly 20 campaigns since 2020.
In this year, along with the management of one of the largest centers for the support of Ukrainian refugees, the foundation implements 3 more initiatives. #SVETULKA is a national project for the creation of a medical environment in pediatrics with the integrity of doctors, children and their parents. The scholarship fund for 28 children of doctors, medics and teachers who died in the covid pandemic continues its work - it will exist until the children reach adulthood.
The foundation organized a children's hourly center in the first days of the war against Ukraine. Together with Muzeiko, the "America for Bulgaria" foundation and the "Together in an Hour" foundation, it created an all-day children's center, and together with the Jewish cultural center "Shalom" it opened another day center for Ukrainian children. Educators, pedagogues and psychologists take care of more than 120 children in the three centers.
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