REPORT ON TABITHA BULGARIA FOUNDATION’ S CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN 2023
WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR! MAY 2024 BE HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS!
Tabitha Bulgaria Foundation expresses its gratitude to all donors, volunteers and friends who made the Christmas holidays unforgettable for the underprivileged children included in Tabitha’s Christmas campaign! We greatly appreciate their efforts, kind understanding and commitment to the less fortunate in the Eve of Christmas. Regardless of the financial crises, soaring up inflation, political restlessness we still managed to organize and carry out a very good Christmas campaign. Thanks to our donors more than 600 children and young adults at over 35 Bulgarian social institutions were cheered up with presents and warm food for Christmas and the New Year’s Eve. We attended many parties to see 2023 off and prepare the way for 2024.
Another 50 low-income senior people from the town of Roman and the region were supported with winter packages, Christmas party, presents and fire wood. Our generous donor Max foundation(Nl) has provided means to buy stable food for the elder people in Roman for 6 months in a row (November – April 2024) for a second year. Thanks to MAX support we organized a Christmas party with lunch and presents for about 30 elderly people in Roman too.
Children prepare winter help for the senior people and wood! Christmas party for Christmas
In the last 16 years Stitching Promoties has held the Bulgarian underprivileged children’s fate at heart by allocating money for Christmas and Easter. Without their generous financial support, we would not have been able to launch Tabitha’s Christmas campaign. As ever we acknowledge Maarten Koel personal involvement and kind heart in the Christmas campaign for the social homes in Botevgrad, Borovan, Dren, Dupnitsa, Mezdra, Pleven, Roman, Samokov, Stara Zagora, Sofia, Vratsa and village of Yagoda.
PROMOTIE Foundation Tabitha-Netherlands Board Tabitha’s Irish donors
Some of the institutions got extra donations from Tabitha Bulgaria’s partners. We would like to acknowledge the 23-years of support from Tabitha Netherlands and especially from the Boitens and the Board for their steady moral guidance and financial assistance which has enabled Tabitha Bulgaria Foundation to do its work and come up to the expectations of the less fortunate. Tabitha Bulgaria Foundation would like to acknowledge the great support which we have received from Bulgaria American Association (BAS) for a number of very productive projects like Baba program in Vratsa and Roman, Educational support (literacy lessons, psychological training and cooking lessons) in Samokov, the Bridge between generations in Roman and others. Special thanks to Jeff Ploetz for his personal involvement. We would like to recognize the many-year dedication and ceaseless help of Bulgarian Orphan Fund (Ireland) at Christmas, especially of Catherine Barkley’s, her wonderful sister Miriam, relatives, friends and colleagues which made the children in Roman very happy. Thanks to them 80 children and young adults from Roman social homes and Day Care Centre had a wonderful party in a nearby town of Mezdra with presents.
The regular support of Werkgroep Bulgarije in Wijk & Aalburg (NL) for the social institutions in Stara Zagora made the children very happy. For Christmas they gave a cooker and laundry machine to the social homes.
The help of our families and friends was greatly appreciated too. They gave us a hand in packing the presents for the social homes. Native Connection OOD and Kelsa Smith- Moushkourova, and many others who helped us, make it through the Christmas campaign in December 2023. The regular New Year’s initiative of Philip and Ivan Matov and their friends who fund-raised over 1000 BGN at their party at the Eve of 2024 was greatly appreciated! The money will go to the scholarship of Minka Nikolaeva from Stara Zagora, who studies computer engineering.
Kelsa -Native Connection Philip, Ivan and friends Lina and girlfriends
Tabitha’s Christmas campaign was preceded by a lot of shopping, making presents , logistic and travelling by Tabitha’s team.
TABITHA FOUNDATION CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN provided presents, parties and food for the following social institutions in Bulgaria:
TWO CENTRES AT THE VILLAGE OF BOROVAN (NW Bulgaria – 140 km off Sofia) – 2 Centres of accommodation of a family type – 22 children and young adults’ aged 9-19 living in dire straits. We also provided some chocolate treatments for the Centre for community support and personal development “M.Belmustakova” for underprivilaged children 160 children.
Food and presents for the institution. Presents for the M.Belmostakova Center
TWO BOTEVGRAD CENTRES FOR ACCOMMODATION OF A FAMILY TYPE – there are 24 children and young adults, aged 6-25, some with serious mental and physical disabilities. We brought them presents and food. Tabitha Bulgaria also supports two grannies on Baba projects by Berlin Rotary Club and Lisa Freij.
We cheered up the Christmas season at the Centres with presents and food!
DREN – 2 Centres for accommodation of a family type “Joy” – 22 children, aged 8- 17 years. We brought them food for Christmas and New Year’s Eve and presents.
Food and presents for the children
DUPNITSA SOCIAL HOMES – 32 children and adults 7- 19 years of age: two Centers for accommodation of a family type for children with disabilities, a Centre for healthy children, and Transitional House. We provided for them bags with chocolate treats and food for the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
They were happy with the presents and food we gave them
MEZDRA – Complex for children with mental and physical disabilities (60 children and adults, age 4-25, accommodated in 4 Centres, a protected house for 6 young people and a transitional home for 10 adolescents. We bought them food and bags with delicious treats. We also provided presents and booklets with colour pencils for the kids from low-income families at the local kindergarten (55 children).
Food Kids from a kindergarten for low-income families
PLEVEN – Home for medico-social cares (70 kids, 0 – 4, 5 years, more than 70% of them bed-ridden or with serious mental and physical problems. The party was attended by St. Clause who distributed toys, sweets, and chocolates to the kids.
Kids enjoying the presents and the beautiful Christmas tree.
ROMAN 1 – Complex for social services for children and families: 55 children and young adults (2 Centres for accommodation of a family type and a Transitional apartment for young adults who are due to leave the institution, 30 persons) and 20 children from the Day Care Centre for disabled children from Roman and the region. Thanks to our friends from the Bulgaria Orphan Appeal we organized a big party for all the children from Roman 1 and Roman 2 in a smart restaurant in the nearby town of Mezdra with delicious lunch and presents. We also bought them food not only for Christmas but also for the New Year’s diners. We support 4 grannies on Baba Project, two by Maarten Luykx(Nl), one by Bulgarian Orphan Appeal(IE) and BAS(US).
Party with presents and lunch Giving presents Providing food for the holidays
ROMAN 2 – Three Centres for accommodation of a family type for children and young adults with disabilities – 30 persons. The children received Christmas bags with treats. We brought them a lot of food for the Christmas holidays from our Irish friends, from Bulgarian orphan appeal.
Party at Mezdra with presents and lunch and food for Christmas and the New Year’s Eves.
SAMOKOV CENTRE FOR ACCOMMODATION OF A FAMILY TYPE. – 14 children, aged 4-19 years. We brought them food and warm gloves. They had wonderful diners for the holidays, prepared with the active help of the children for whom Tabitha provides cooking lessons.
We gave them warm gloves Preparing for Christmas’s Eve dinner
STARA ZAGORA – Small group houses – 38 children and young adults with Mr.Bahov. We provided presents for all the children and young adults.
Lots of presents and happy children
STARA ZAGORA 7 Centres for accommodation of a family type – 90 children and adults with Nellie Badgakova, most of them with physical and mantal problems,aged 7-19. They all received presents and food for the Chrsitmas holidays.
Lots of food for Christmas and the New Years Eves
VRATZA CENTRS FOR ACCONNODATION OF A FAMILY TYPE, Transitional Home, 23 children and young adults (aged 7-25).
Many presents and food for the young adults at CNCT Vratsa!
Food for both Christmas and the new Year’s Eves
Moms and Babies’ Unit in Vratsa – food and presents for the mothers and the kids
VRATZA SOCIAL COMPLEX, (54 children) consisting of 3 Centres for accommodation for disabled children – 42 children and adults, aged 6 – to over 25 years and a transitional home for 8 young adults.
We provided food and presents for all of them. The children were happy and enjoyed the party for Christmas. Though some were in invalid chairs they were also included in the celebration. Thanks to their babas the children performed songs. We support 4 grannies on Baba project, financed by BAS, Corawill Inc , Samen Delen(Bruchem) and Borjana Hristova & Drago Ilievs.
Center for accommodation of family type for children andn young adults with disabilities
Enjoying Christmas party, Santa Clause and presents
STAR OF HOPE – 5 girls in a protected home in Sofia: we bought food for them for the Christmas holidays. The Arabia Restaurant provided them with dishes for the Christmas Eve.
The girls received food and Christmas dishes to enjoy the holidays.
SENIOR PEOPLE in Roman – Like every year in the last 10 years we received a generous lump sum from the Foundation MAX Maakt Mogelijk (NL) for 50 old people with low income in the town of Roman and the region through “Tabitha Netherlands” and the personal commitment of Rients Boiten. They received 2 m³ fire-wood and winter packages, containing 2 kg of flour,2 l. cooking oil, rice, beans, lentils, sugar, instant soups, macaroni, biscuits, waffles and jam. In the period of 6 months they receive different products. For Christmas they got salami, yellow cheese, white cheese, coffee, sweets and other products that cheered their holidays.
Another 30 elderly had a wonderful Christmas Party with delicious food of their own choice. They received presents too.
Wood from MAX Winter help with staple products Christmas party for the senior people
HAPPY CHILDREN WITH MANY PRESENTS
SMILING FACES, HAPPY CHILDREN
TABITHA BULGARIA TEAM
/ALBENA & GEORGE/