Relief in Bulgaria
Founded in the 7th century, Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe. With a population of 1.2 million residents, Sofia, its capital, is a thriving, dynamic and diverse city with a rich cultural and historical heritage.
As in many big cities, Sofia has its own shortcomings. Currently, there are no social services for appropriate temporary accommodation and no functioning guardianship system for unaccompanied and separated children in Bulgaria. This has led to rampant abuse and neglect of children. There are also very few supports available for adults living in poverty leading to a large homeless population.
With a growing need for services for separated children and homeless adults, St Sofia and St Dimitar were opened to give temporary shelter to those in need. There are over 125 children and over 450 adults living in these shelters. Both shelters are in desperate need of food, clothes and shoes as the residents often arrive with very little and cannot move on without appropriate supplies.
GAiN UK got to know Pastor Filip Rashnev of Full Gospel Church in Sofia in 2023. He and his team visit these shelters weekly and he shared with us the need for a broken down boiler to be fixed before winter, as temperatures in Sofia can go down to -15C . We were able to send them finances for the boiler to be fixed and for food for the children.
In November 2024, GAiN UK, together with GAiN Germany sent 1,000 boxes of donated clothes, shoes and winter jackets to help the people cope with the harsh winter in Sofia. World Give also partnered with us and sent 150 Christmas shoeboxes, to give to the children in these shelters.
Results so far (February 2025)
Reached families: 1366
Approx. number of people: 3120
Approx. number of children below 18: 1220
Distributed in weight (lbs): 9942
Distributed in weight (kgs): 4510
Number of meals: 15,033
Distributed Christmas gifts: 150
Distributed Clothes ITEMS…. N/A (too many to count)