Hiya folks just to let you know there is an update on BBC4 on Thursday at 9.00pm UK time it's about the Children of Mogilino,


[url=http:
//www.
bbc.
co.
uk/iplayer/episode/b00n92rf/Bulgarias_Abandoned_Children_Revisited:1r1p329c]LINK[/url:1r1p329c]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I'll be watching this I have seen this mentioned on other sites but never really paid any attention

Here is a bit more about this program thought some of you may be interested

Kate Blewett, the independent documentary film-maker whose 2007 documentary Bulgaria's Abandoned Children caused an outcry about the neglect of the children that it portrayed, has returned to the country to produce a sequel, being shown on BBC4 on October 15 2009.

The home in Mogilino, near Rousse on the Danube, became infamous after Blewett's film showed heartbreaking images, prompting outrage in the UK and in other countries in which it was shown.

The 60-minute sequel, according to the BBC's website, shows the "
power of television to bring about concrete change"
. It is entitled Bulgaria's Abandoned Children...Revisited.

The original Bulgaria's Abandoned Children led the then-governments Agency for Social Assistance at the Ministry for Labour and Social Policy, as well as Unicef and 16 NGOs, to adopt an action plan in October 2007 to shut the Mogilino home. A charity campaign was launched and 1.6 million leva was raised.

The most recent update on the topic on Blewetts website, from 2008, said: "
We have a Christmas campaign to support a system in Bulgaria where grandparents go to the institutes and look after the abandoned children on a one-on-one basis. This is called BABA's - and we are working with people on the ground in Bulgaria to set this up and to monitor the work and the reaction of the children.

"
We are also supporting a small group home where children from Mogilino have been placed. The plan is for Mogilino to shut in January 2009 but there are still 20 young adults living in the institute - so we are fighting hard to stop them from simply being placed into the desperate adult institutes,"
Blewetts website said.

Bulgaria's Abandoned Children: The Trust, set up to help the children in Bulgaria's institutes was working to establish where the children were being moved to when they leave Mogilino and to ensure their lives had improved, the site said.

"
Further work is being done to help develop a small group home for the remaining adults in Mogilino. The Trust is investing money into ensuring the medical profession teaches parents with new borns who are disabled - to keep their children making sure abandonment is reduced. Work is constantly in progress to help de-institutionalise Bulgaria."


The BBC's description of the sequel said that the original had "
caused an international outcry because the images of neglect were so shocking to witness in a country that had just become a member of the European Union.

"
Bulgaria has more institutionalised mentally and physically disabled children than anywhere else in Europe. The film is a heart-rending and eye-opening look into the life of one institution."


The BBC said that Blewett had returned to Bulgaria in 2009 to film with a handful of the children featured in the original documentary, seeing where they are today and how their lives had changed since the outcry and changes brought about by the film.

The sequel "
takes the audience back to Bulgaria to see how the lives of the children have been transformed beyond recognition as a result of the public response to the film,"
according to the BBC description on its website.

"
It is testimony to the power of television to bring about concrete change, and also demonstrate how even apparently hopelessly withdrawn and 'damaged' children can be reached, helped and given a meaningful life and future with the right care."


As The Sofia Echo reported previously, on March 30 2009, Emilia Maslarova, the then-minister of labour and social policy who lost that job when the government of which she was part was voted out of office in July 2009 presented her office's own documentary on the Mogilino childcare's home.

Maslarova showed the film during a round table on parentless children, which was hosted by President Georgi Purvanov in Sofia.

Maslarova's film shows children with mental disabilities in Mogilino being taught to communicate and deal with everyday life. As part of the Ministry's goal, 39 children had by then Mogilino although 30 children were at the time still residing. Some of the children had returned to their families. Others had been sent to new family care centers.

"
I hope that Mogilino will become a symbol of improvement because many things have changed there,"
Purvanov said at the time.

Some months earlier, Purvanov who is still in office had given his view of Blewetts documentary.

In March 2008, Purvanov became the latest Bulgaria official to come out and criticise Bulgaria's Abandoned Children as a film aimed against Bulgaria and Bulgarian people.

"
I was deeply perturbed by that film, which is not made with love towards Bulgaria, which is a part of an anti-Bulgarian campaign that I do not know who and to what end has instigated,"
he said, as quoted by mediapool.bg.

"
There are things featured in the film we are fully aware of,"
Purvanov said, although he added that the standard of care in homes like Mogilino was not anywhere near to that to which Bulgaria should aspire.

Since making Bulgaria's Abandoned Children, Blewett whose portfolio also includes films from 1995 onwards on themes from other countries where children are neglected, to slavery and the illegal transplant trade has made, in 2008, films entitled Undercover in Tibet, and also on Channel 4, Mum Loves Drugs, Not Me.

A very upsetting documentary. A complete change in the children that were featured.
It was sickening to see some of the conditions that these poor children had to live in, and the way in which they were treated ? in one seen they show a child being spoon fed at a speed that would have chocked most of us, it wasn't that the child was hungry but the woman feeding her was a pig [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I was very upset watching all of this and it made me look back to when I lived in Bulgaria,I can remember times when I seen so many starving children about the Town searching through the bins for food and I was off to my nice house to fill my stomach, it was very hard for me to accept that way of life so I spoke to a few Brits who had lived in Bulgaria for many years, I told them that I was finding it increasingly difficult to live in Bulgaria and ignore what was going on ? most of them replied with "
that's how they choose to live"
anyway I digress, it was good to see at the end of the program that great steps had been made to better the care and life of these children but as you can imagine there is still a lot to do? one thing I must say is the director of the mogilino that was featured said in her interview that she was doing a very good job and she had been let down by her staff? and that the children were fine but she felt sorry for herself and that she would be happy to live in the home if only that were possible I would love to be her carer just for 10 minutes [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

There is still lots to do in other institutions like mogilino, but thank God the BBC has highlighted this barbaric behavior to the world.

Well worth watching, to those of you have not seen it yet, but make sure you have a box of tissues.

The institution in Mogilino finally closed its doors on October 1st 2009. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I also watched this program which was well made and I take my hat off to Kate Blewett, for all that she has highlighted and the changes that she has helped to bring , but I can't help feeling that this has made me also think about the Bulgarian people? and what sort of people are they that can allow this sort of thing to go on sorry if this offends anyone but it has to be said that this is not short of Abuse at its worst and to be honest every Bulgarian should be held accountable this is their country and they have the power to condone it or stop it? I know most of you will say "
NO that's not true"
but it is we can all take the easy option and pretend it doesn't exist but we are all accountable just for not doing something that we know to be right [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Well this is very sad :| but having just returned from Yambol I can say that my heart went out to some of the children than I seen looking through the bins for bits of food :shock:it was just so unreal to think that in this day and age that this goes on in an EU country, and there were also children round the towns begging, which was at times very unpleasant I don't mean they were a nuisance but I found it hard to deal with, it does make you wonder if we as Brits will make the situation any better by moving there and trying to help but lets not forget that this country is steeped in thousands of years of history and tradition having said that we in the uk have made so many mistakes at great cost to others [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] so what gives us the right to think we know better [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] but I do believe that change will come but at what cost I do not know but this change in Bulgaria I believe will be brought about by the next generation as the present on is still living very much like the days of the Communists, but I guess we can all try and do something for the here and now so I for one will help in anyway I can to try and help these poor children.

:|

Hope you don't mind me adding this taken from novinite today

Bulgaria is set to receive EUR 40 M from the World Bank for projects to help Roma children integrate into society, Bulgaria's Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Totyu Mladenov, reported Monday.

Mladenov, speaking at the the two-day regional seminar on Social inclusion - the priorities of national and regional policies for social Europe, stated that half of the money from the project will be invested in social policies, while the remainder will be for reconstruction and building of creches.

Municipalities and NGOs that meet the World Bank criteria will be eligible to use money from the project. The main target group will be Roma children and children with disabilities that need a “more accessible environment. When you want to integrate, this must be done at the initial level, Mladenov said.

The project will last from 2009 to 2013 and the first results will become clear in 2011, Mladenov concluded.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi Guys

Lets get this back on a postive link see link below before our Garden Party 20 Sept 2009 So you can see we are making a little difference, also see the link on the build up to our trip Sept 2009. Our Website has lots of photos and articles and monthly updates, please visit.

We, Dougie and myself Berni are only two people trying to make a difference to these children and various other organisations in Silistra. I am very proud of us and what we have achieve and also of the people who help us this year. We will try to aim a little higher for next year. Our target is to get new wooden flooring and new internal doors for the Dimcho Orphanage. We have started our fundraising off with our first bootsale. So if anyone can help us in any way or if you want to make a donation, please visit our website. All suggestion welcome.

UK Couple Organizes Charity Party for Bulgarian Orphans

A garden party with tents and barbecue for the children from the "
Dimcho Debelianov"
orphanage is organized by Bernadette and Douglas Leggett Sunday.

The orphanage is located in Bulgaria's Danube city of Silistra. Te charity event is attended by local and State authorities, businessmen, friends of the children as well as 16 British couples, who like the Leagle family have chosen the Silistra area as their place of residency.

An official donation of the British State is going to be given to the orphanage's director during the party. The British couple is planning more charities for other orphanages in the Silistra Region and for the Silistra hospital.

The local Rotary club also organized a charity event for the orphans on Saturday - a lunch and a boat trip on the Danube.

All events are held under the patronage of the Silistra City Hall.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[url=http:
//www.
novinite.
com/view_news.
php?id=108009:1fzb94yo]LINK[/url:1fzb94yo]



Couple's mission to help orphans

A COUPLE with a passion for giving children the "
normal things in life"
are preparing to make their second life-changing trip to Bulgaria.
With the help of friends, family, neighbours and local businesses, Dougie and Bernadette Leggett have collected more than 150 shoe boxes jam-packed with second hand goods for the Dimcho Debelainov Orphanage which supports 78 children in Bulgaria.

Now the pair, of Winyates, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, are hoping to raise the £2,000 needed to travel 2,000 miles to transport the goods, which include clothes, toiletries, toys and games, along with another 40 boxes for a new baby orphanage.

They will also be taking five wheelchairs, walkers, Zimmer frames, walking sticks, crutches and more than 400 pairs of spectacles that will be taken to the Silistra Hospital and Home for the Elderly and local villagers.

Dougie (61) and Bernadette (51) first visited the orphanage for children and teenagers while on holiday four years ago, and, after seeing the lack of facilities and staff, were inspired to buy a trailer and make regular trips to transport as much equipment and essentials to the deprived area of the country as they could.

But with the help of the Peterborough community, the couple have managed to expand their collection and can no longer manage to transport all of the goods by themselves.

Bernadette said:“We feel very passionate about these children and our mission is to help them where we can and try to give them the normal things in life, such as clothing, shoes, toiletries and toys.

“We do not need any more goods this year, however, we do need help with transport to Bulgaria.

“In years to come there, will still be so much more the orphanage needs from flooring and doors to windows and school equipment.

“We are just two people on our own, and we can only do so much ourselves. We need all the support we can get.

“The children, the director and staff will be so happy with the delivery. They have never had or seen filled shoeboxes before, so can you imagine the excitement there will be on Christmas morning, as this year, every child in the orphanage will have a specially filled shoebox.

Donations they have received include a marquee from GL Events Snowdens, which will be used as an additional recreation room for the children, and the TA centre, in London Road, Peterborough, has been storing all of the goods ready for the trip in September.

Shoeboxes were made up by groups including youngsters from the 1st DSJ Otters Cubs, 1st Orton Goldhay Rainbows, 1st Orton Goldhay Brownies and 2nd Orton Goldhay Guides.

n For more information about the orphanage visit [url=http:
//www.
bulgariaorphanagesilistra.
webs.
com:1fzb94yo][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] or e-mail Berni [email:1fzb94yo]bulgarianorphanage@hotmail.
co.
uk[/email:1fzb94yo]

[url=http:
//www.
peterboroughtoday.
co.
uk/news/Couple39s-mission-to-help-orphans.
5485071.
jp:1fzb94yo]LINK[/url:1fzb94yo]


ET Report July 2009


Oddy

It's good to see people trying to help children over there.

I have read that there are many problems with Roma children and the education system in terms of there not being enough funding for schools where majority Roma pupils attend and problems with the curriculum.

It totally made me wanna start up my own school. I guess in a lot of ways the Roma in Bulgaria remind me of the Aboriginals in Australia in terms of negative stereotyping and lack of proper awareness. Many people assume that Aboriginals are just lazy bums that wanna live off welfare, when in fact its a position that they have been placed due to such problems.

Sucks really.

Anyway good to see someone doing something.

Take care,

Adam

Hi,

Firstly Im new here I got invited and am happy to have become a member.

Right secondly I am trying to find a charity that supports orphanges in Bulgaria but preferably in Plovdiv.

I wish to do what I can to promote and get donations for a Bulgarian orphan charity on my website and wondered if any of you good fellows know of any registered charities I could help?

Hiya and welcome I think you are best advised to contact Bernie on here AKA oddball, she will help you if she can as she has quite some knowledge with orphanages

ATB

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks,

Ive just sent a PM :)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi Mugshot

I applaude your good intentions and wish you well. Here are some organisations that you might find interesting in the Plovdiv area.

[url=http:
//www.
charity-charities.
org/Bulgaria-charities/Plovdiv.
html:31foc9nd][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

or

[url=http:
//www.
charity-charities.
org/volunteering/Bulgaria-volunteers/Plov:31foc9nd][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

or

[url=http:
//www.
cadip.
org/volunteer-in-bulgaria.
htm:31foc9nd][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Hope this help. Well done again!!

Oddy

Hi Oddy,

I went for One Heart Bulgaria [url=http:
//www.
oneheart-bg.
org/:2f8iwq6a][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] because they support many orphanages in the Plovdiv region which my site is geared towards.

I am currently working on a few ways of generating support.

I am interested in how I may also be able to help your cause Oddy :) it may be in Silistra but it is still in Bulgaria and thus needs support also!

Guy

Hi Mugshot

Fair play to you [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] good choice - One Heart is indeed a very worthwhile cause and they seem to cover various regions (see list on their website) The website is very informative and give you contact details for the director or their main contact as Nikolia Govaxor the executive director she will arrange the meeting for any of the orphanages and also a translator.

In my opinion, it really does no matter which Orphanage or group you support, it;
s the fact that you have taken the time and consideration to think of others and their wellbeing that set you apart from others. Again where you live in Bulgaria should not make a difference as there will always be an Orphanage or a group that could use your help. If you spend an hour or a day there, believe me, your viist will make a huge difference to the childlren

Dougie and I are only two people helping where we can with Silistra Orphange and the other groups around. Our main aim is to finance the new flooring and doors for 2010 and we are hoping to get donation via our website, but it is very hard when you are NOT a charity, however, we will continue to fundraise and keep going - We can only do what we can.

Respect to you mugshot

Oddy Sunny:
There is a list of orphanage on One Hearts website and they need support.