Nurse Family Partnership Program in Bulgaria

We are glad to share some encouraging updates since our last project report at the end of November 2024. With the support of our donors, including your contributions through the GlobalGiving platform, our organization commenced 2025 on a positive note by distributing children's books to nearly 200 infants and toddlers from disadvantaged communities served by our Nurse-Family Partnership home-visiting program.

For families living in poverty, access to children's books is often severely restricted. At the same time reading books and engaging in storytelling are critically important for fostering language skills and stimulating imagination from an early age. Consequently, at the conclusion of each calendar year and the onset of the new year, we endeavor to collect and purchase children's books to distribute to families in need. These gifts are profoundly appreciated by both the children and their parents.

In conjunction with this initiative, our field teams continue to provide comprehensive support to beneficiaries within the home-visiting service. This includes offering guidance on developing parenting skills, ensuring the health and early development of infants, and delivering in-kind assistance based on specific needs and available resources. Nevertheless, the central team overseeing the program, has encountered significant financial challenges related to sustaining overall program delivery. We have secured temporary funding for service delivery in 2025 through the generosity of a private donor; however, this is a one-time opportunity, and we remain uncertain about the program's viability beyond 2026.

The central team is actively engaged in discussions with municipal and state authorities in Bulgaria to establish a sustainable pathway. Additionally, we have developed an advocacy strategy with the assistance of pro bono external consultants. Unfortunately, the unstable political situation has thus far hindered progress toward achieving this strategic objective. Therefore, your individual support, no matter how modest, for sustaining the Nurse-Family Partnership is invaluable to our central team, the field teams of home-visiting nurses, and, most importantly, the vulnerable families we serve.

We will keep you informed of all developments but remain reliant on your continuous support! Please, do share our cause and needs with your audience and know that every little step you take is a giant leap of faith and hope for us!

Thank you!

Ivanka Puleva

Project Leader