Bulgaria

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Address: Oborishte Street 9, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria
Telephone: +359 2 944 18 58 Fax: +359 2 946 11 33
Email:  caritas@caritas.bg
Facebook: Caritas-Bulgaria Twitter: CaritasBulgaria
www.caritas.bg

Caritas Bulgaria is a Bulgarian non-profit organisation which does social work to support vulnerable people in society. Established in 1993 by decision of the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria, Caritas Bulgaria follows its mission to create a more humane and just society in which all people, especially the very poor and the oppressed, may lead a fulfilled life. In pursuit of this goal, Caritas Bulgaria supports its member organisations which carry out social activities via their local structures in various regions in Bulgaria.

The main areas in which Caritas Bulgaria concentrates its activities are: providing social, health and educational care and services; response to emergency situations; advocacy activities aimed at the Bulgarian government to develop and implement long-term, effective social policies that lead to sustainable improvement of the quality of life of the poor and the vulnerable.

The social, health and educational care and services provided by Caritas Bulgaria through its member organisations are in support of: the elderly; children and young people with disabilities; children and youth at risk; people dependent on psychoactive substances; asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants; single mothers; homeless people; and people affected by natural disasters.

  • For the elderly Caritas provides home care services. There are eight Caritas Home Care Centres in Sofia, Ruse, Belene, Bardarskygeran, Plovdiv, Rakovsky, Malko Tarnovo and Zhitnitsa. Via Caritas mobile teams, they provide social services and health care at the homes of needy elderly people. Pokrovan has a Day Care Centre for elderly people who are lonely.
  • For children and young people at risk Caritas carries out various activities to support their education and organise their leisure time. In Kuklen and Banya (Nova Zagora), there are centres for after-school interests. In Rouse, Malko Tarnovo, Sofia, Oresh and Malchika, Social Support Centres provide social and educational care for children living in poverty, and representatives of vulnerable groups. Various activities are carried out with children and adolescents to prevent drug addiction and human trafficking. ***
  • For children and young people with disabilities there are Caritas Centres in Rouse, Vratsa, Belene, Sofia and Veselinovo, which provide complex social services – kinesitherapy, work-therapy, psychotherapy, speech therapy, art therapy and other specialised activities.
  • For people dependent on psycho-active substances Caritas implements a mobile care pre-treatment programme in Sofia. The people we care for are provided with primary medical aid, anonymous testing for blood-transmitted infections, consultations about treatment opportunities and methods, consultations of parents and friends, and free medical examinations.
  • For refugees, migrants and asylum seekers the Caritas Centre for Integration of Refugees and Migrants operates in Sofia, providing psychological assistance, educational services, social consultations, humanitarian assistance, and practical assistance for housing and work. Caritas staff and volunteers also provide educational activities for the refugee in centres at the State Agency for Refugees.
  • For single mothers a social Caritas Centre in Sofia provides professional care, counselling and services to single mothers raising their children on their own.
  • For homeless people there is a mobile Caritas Centre in Burgas, and a shelter and a Centre for social rehabilitation and integration in Rousse. These services provide homeless people with food, clothing, social counselling and psychological assistance.
  • For people affected by natural disasters Caritas carries out activities relating to urgent humanitarian support and rehabilitation.

Caritas Bulgaria is a member of: Caritas Internationalis; the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants; the Bulgarian Platform for International Development; the National Council on Social Inclusion Issues at the Council of Ministers; Christian Organisations against Trafficking in Human Beings (COATNET).

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