School of Arts and Crafts for Socially Disadvantaged Children "Dimitar Ekimov" Rusalya

School of Arts and Crafts for Socially Disadvantaged Children "Dimitar Ekimov", village of Rusalya

Because of your generosity we have exceeded our goal and collected over $50,000. The money will help feed, clothe and keep warm all the kids through 2019-2021 school years. Thank you!

$50,510

THANK YOU! TOTAL AMOUNT RAISED: 100%

Raised: $50,510

Goal: $25,000

About this project


The School of Arts and Crafts for Socially Disadvantaged Children “Dimitar Ekimov” in the village of Rusalya was founded by individuals who recognized the insufficient care socially disadvantaged children get from state institutions and the complete lack of educational forms for their integration in society. The school provides instruction in traditional dancing, music instruments, knitting, and other crafts and arts, in addition to the standard school program. Children learn gardening and help with housework, which creates a sense of community and family – an emotion that many of them experience for the first time. A team of teachers, mentors, experts and artists lead them to self-awareness and self-expression, which allow them to take control of their behavior and are key for kids with learning issues.

The children come from families living in extreme poverty with no previous access to any form of education. Some of them were unable to communicate prior to coming to the school, which resulted in their complete isolation from society. Many of them show signs of anxiety and aggression when asked to complete simple tasks. With the right tools for motivation, the school has been profoundly successful in taking these children out of their toxic environment and integrating them as beneficial elements of society.

Funding for the school was initially provided by Velux Foundations, a Danish charity with a history of funding social projects in Bulgaria, which stepped in to support the initiative by providing funds to renovate the building, previously an abandoned school, purchase land, construct additional buildings to serve as dining room and dorms and cover a year of operational costs.  The idea was to create a unique model for integrating socially disadvantaged children which can later be adopted by state-funded institutions across the country. The school still relies mainly on donors and luckily there has been a few over the years to help with operational costs. Unfortunately, funds are hard to come and the school halted expansion and could soon close doors.

Watch a short video about the school or read a news article for more information.

The school’s mission is:

  • To provide an opportunity for talented and gifted children to receive free quality education and upbringing.
  • To help to maintain, develop and improve their natural potential and turn it into a capital for their future;
  • To provide an individual approach and professional care, excellent facilities and environment filled with comfort, peace and love;
  • To promote the growth of good and smart people motivated and confident to realize their professional and life start;
  • To provide the best team of teachers, mentors, experts and inspiring artists who lead children to self-knowledge and self-expression.

Top Contributors to this campaign

PAAY

JFD Brokers

Gergana and Boris Genov

Stefan Tsvetkov

Rubella Beauty

Polina & Orlin Jordanov

Tanya Veleva

Enio Nakov

Lyubka Bakalova

Kamen Stoykov

Pavel Piperkov

Ivo and Pavlina Nenin

Polina Marinova

Polina Gerontieva

Radoslav Zlatev

Dimitar Kolev

Nedyalko Gerontiev

AC Nielsen Bulgaria

Iva Petrova

Ivelin Spasov

Dessi O’Carroll

Iva and Kaloyan Mihaylov

Petar and Iveta Arizanov

Nelly Damyanova

Ivelina Velikova

Vladimir Kostadinov

Michael Alexander

Stefan Zhelyazkov

Mila Yankova

Ivaylo Mandadjiev

The Nielsen Company, Bulgaria

Ivan Palov

Jivka Cohen

Mariya Krasteva

Petar Stoykov

Momchil Milev

Eleonora Gateva

Martin Mavrov

Svetlana Ivanova

Maya and Alec Stephanov

Malena Georgieva

Liliana Petrova

Yordan Betsinski

Ani and Vasco Yordanov

Vanya Stefanova

Brendan Duffy

Tsvetomir Petkov

Deyan Ninov

Penka Nikolova-Baltov

Toni Angelov

John Ciesielski

Footprint Labs, Inc

Georgi Peev

Victor Penev

Arto Indjian

Destrida Manalu

Presiyana Barbazova

Polia Petkova

Oktay and Kristina Veliev

HealingShore.com

Antonia Bakalova

Margarita Markova

Jillian Youngblood

Anton Bakalov

Iva Krasteva

Kiril Lazarov

Martin Paraskevov

Elena Yaneva

Irina and Neno Pachovski

Paul Kuveke

Stoytcho Stoev

Anthony Pompliano

Martin Nikolov

Kremena Dimitrova

Svetla Marionova

Dilyana Dimitrova

Financial statements and documentation


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Pediatric Surgery of Pirogov Emergency Hospital, Sofia, Bulgaria

Pediatric Surgery of Pirogov Emergency Hospital, Sofia, Bulgaria

TOTAL AMOUNT RAISED FOR THIS CAMPAIGN: 100%

Raised: $10,000

Goal: $10,000

About this project


In May 2015 we delivered three systems for measuring the pressure in the pleural cavity of the lungs of newborns and children. The systems are necessary when diagnosing and treating the condition pneumothorax. The beneficiary is the pediatric surgery department of Pirogov Emergency Hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria. The total cost of the systems including delivery and installation was $4,475.

In March 2014 we delivered a set of instruments for laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery to the pediatric surgery department of Pirogov Emergency Hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria. These instruments are especially important when performing surgery on babies and small children, and have already helped save babies’ lives! Below is a thank you letter from Pirogov Hospital and the department of pediatric surgery. Thank you, donors!

Financial statements and documentation



School for Children with Vision Impairments ‘Prof.Dr. Ivan Shishmanov’, Varna, Bulgaria

School for Children with Vision Impairments ‘Prof.Dr. Ivan Shishmanov’, Varna, Bulgaria

We raised $26,000 for this project and exceeded our goal! Thank you for your support.

TOTAL AMOUNT RAISED FOR THIS CAMPAIGN: 100%

Raised: $26,000

Goal: $25,000

About this project


Sep 16, 2017

Dear Donors and Sponsors,

We hope that you had a great Summer! Our team worked very hard this summer to secure the most value for your donation dollars. This week, we ordered the computers and internet wiring for the School for Children with Vision Impairments ‘Prof.Dr. Ivan Shishmanov’ in Varna, Bulgaria. The order included computers for the classrooms, specialized touch-screen equipment for the therapy cabinet, as well as internet routers, wireless receivers and cable wiring to cover the entire school premises. We were able to negotiate with the vendors in Bulgaria – LANULTRA and VALI Computers Ltd. – who decided to generously donate their profits to this cause! Yesterday was the First School Day in Bulgaria, and we are happy that the equipment will be delivered just in time for the beginning of the school year.

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