Nurse Family Partnership Program in Bulgaria

Hello, dear supporters,

As I shared with you last time, our home-visiting service is facing a difficult time. Our future remains precarious but we never stop exploring possible solutions so that we can continue supporting vulnerable first-time moms and their children. 

With the winter holidays nearing, I thought I'd put aside our worries for a moment and share with you a joyful story - which is coming to life also due to your support.

As you know, part of the funds which you direct towards us, go towards purchasing vitamins for the pregnant young women who take part in the program, as well as their children. These are essential for their wellbeing. While vitamins and supplements cannot replace a wholesome diet, they are of extreme importance for families who can't afford to have a variety of foods on their table, let alone purchase supplements. 

For some time now, we've had a good partnership with the "Vitabiotics" brand who consistently reduce their prices for us, knowing that we work with vulnerable families. Due to the fact that we regularly turn to them, they recently decided to donate over twenty big boxes of vitamins for the children and future moms. This has meant that over the last few months the nurses working on the ground have managed to distribute vitamins to all families taking part in the program and cover their needs for over two months!

Do you know who this wouldn't have happened without? You guessed right - it's you! Your support in the last year and a half has allowed us to continue purchasing vitamins for the moms and babies who are most in need - and it's your commitment really that the company is saying a big "thank you" for with their donation.

Good deeds inspire more good deeds - this is what inspires us about this story. We thank you for caring for the young moms and children we support and for helping them take steps towards a better future.

Hello, dear friends!

The time has come to update you on we are faring, and truth is – we need your support now more than ever.

The last months have been difficult, as the funding for our home-visiting program is running out this autumn and we still don’t know what the future holds for us. We have been doing our best to secure its future, applying for funds, talking to multiple donors and donor organizations, planning for different scenarios. Our biggest hope is to receive funding from the Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy which we applied for this winter. This would allow us to continue running for the next year and a half and buy us more time to advocate for the national dissemination of the service.

However, even if our bid is successful, we are left in a very precarious situation. The funds which the Social Ministry would provide would only cover the team’s salaries and the most vital administrative expenses, so all of the the young moms’ needs, such as medicine, vitamins, contraception, the essential packs for newborn babies, the medical check-ups – would remain uncovered.

Up until now we had a small emergency fund which, combined with your support, allowed us to cover these expenses. However, in this new period we will have no such emergency fund and will rely on your support entirely to address these fundamental needs.

While preparing to address what the future months bring, we ask for your support. If you can, please donate and share our campaign in your networks, so that we can assure that the bright young women we work with have access to the basics they need to build their own future and that of their children.

With gratitude,

Kamelia Tzeneva