The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee & Embrace Me, in Sofia

The drive down to Bulgaria was once again a journey through some of the most fantastic countryside. As it had been described to us by someone earlier in the trip 'a tiny piece of paradise'. Again we were delayed slightly by the rolling hills, which reduce us to a virtual crawl for much of the journey, but were happy to arrive in Sofia in good time to meet our lovely host, Yana, and grab some dinner.

We had only made contact with both our Bulgarian partner charities a few weeks before arriving on their doorstep, as a result of losing contact with our previously planned organisation, and all I have to say is we are delighted that we did.

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee work mainly in advocacy, and have a long term focus on the country's various institutions, and Roma Communities. Institutions are an enormous problem throughout the Balkans, and some of the statistics are quite frankly shocking. To sum it up, there are thousands of children and adults in institutions receiving absolutely no help, comfort, love, or support, and simply waiting to die.

To develop on this, there are thousands of children who are abandoned at birth and put into institutions. Many because they have mental or physical disabilities, and some simply because they are unwanted. It has become easy in Bulgaria and several other countries, to abandon children. These institutions are hidden away in small villages deep into the Bulgarian countryside, they are NOT run by professionals, and rather the children there, are in a virtual purgatory.

We met an example of the potential being wasted in such Institutions, in a lovely and intelligent young girl, Laura. Laura had been adopted by a South African couple who had been volunteering within the institution where she spent the first seven years of her life. When they first met Laura, she was seven years old and weighed seven kilos. They were told not to bother wasting their time worrying about her, as she was severely brain damaged, and was going to die. Luckily, however, they saw something in Laura that suggested otherwise, and took it upon themselves to take her for treatment. Here the Doctor after carrying out several tests, reported that in fact there was absolutely nothing wrong with her, and any condition she showed was just a result of severe neglect and malnutrition.

Laura is now an intelligent 15 year old, and although she still has the mental scars of her upbringing, or lack of it, she is happy. There are thousands more children like Laura within such institutions simply rotting away. Some will remain there long into adulthood, rarely, if ever, seeing daylight. Yana informed us of an occasion when she was reporting undercover at an institution and she saw a lady eating snow outside, as they had had no water for a week. There were also no windows or electricity. The Helsinki Committee, are working with the Bulgarian Government to close all of the institutions down, and re house there inhabitants at more suitable development centres over the coming years.

We also visited a Roma Community, on the outskirts of Sofia, which was being threatened to be bulldozed down to make way for development, leaving hundreds of people homeless. The Helsinki Committee represented the community in the European Courts, and won, saving the community, and establishing at least some basic human rights. The people there were extremely welcoming to us, as has become a theme within such communities, and it is again utterly shocking that they are still treated to a huge extent as 2nd grade citizens. There is a huge amount of discrimination with regards to employment, and also still they have no official land ownership rights. There is a huge lack of education, and thus representation at a high level. The Helsinki Committee fill that void for now, and are looking to improve the situation in the future, again by working closely with the Bulgarian Government.

The Helsinki Committee, are also currently focussed on the issue of police brutality, which is also a big problem in Bulgaria, and they are looking to force a simple change in the law to prevent police abusing their powers. Currently it is legal for a Bulgarian police officer to shoot a criminal regardless of crime if they try to resist arrest. This is against European law, and currently rather than changing the Bulgarian law, the government are paying multiple fines for breaches of the agreement. Everyone at the Helsinki Committee was fantastically welcoming, and we would like to than them and especially Yana Buhrer Tavanier, who was an absolute pleasure.

We also spent a few hours with a small grass roots project, 'Embrace Me', who hold art classes for children from Institutions, and help to give them some of the love and support they so severely lack. Again a huge thank you to Milena, Kalina, Yana, and all the wonderful children. Bulgaria is a great place with great people, and Sofia is a fantastic and inspiring city. Next we have a drive of over 1000 miles to Diyarbakir, Turkey.

(Photos to follow)