“Mothers for Donation”- this is how a group of Bulgarian women, who have been working to encourage birth, named their volunteer foundation. The donation of genetic material by young and healthy people, usually by people who already became parents, is a relatively new topic of discussion in Bulgaria. According to data of the foundation, 40,000 Bulgarian women need donor egg, in order to make their dream come true and become mothers.

This is a form of gratuitous donation, such as blood donation or any decision to give a piece of you to a stranger. “Donation is life” is the motto of the mothers’ foundation- so far they have helped 2,000 Bulgarian women give birth to their long-desired babies.

The foundation was established in 2014 by three women who found in donation the cause which makes them feel alive. Currently, the foundation has nearly 4,000 members-girls and boys from all over the country who have become anonymous donors and have been donating their genetic material gratuitously.

This is a completely voluntary organization. It consists of donors only. The idea is to give publicity to the fact that many Bulgarian women are waiting for and need an egg donor. We try to help them by paying the procedures” - Viktoria Dimitrova who is among the founders of the foundation told Radio Bulgaria.

Of all donors so far, only 5 women were familiar with the problem in advance. The others received information from us. They are motivated by the fact that they are mothers. When a woman becomes a mother, she often looks into her child’s eyes. A mother can understand the pain of a stranger better. Transparency is the other thing that matters for them. We neither hide our faces, nor the babies that are born. These people do not stay anonymous either. Transparency from both sides is the most important thing for us. It is good to know that there are people who are ready to become and help anonymously and completely free of charge. Those who cannot become donors can help us by donating money. They can find bank account details on our web site. We also organize charity bazaar to raise funds. The names of the couples who received genetic material from donors can be seen on our website as well- the people who already received help and financial assistance from us.”

“The donors continued the procedure during the coronavirus pandemic with permission from the Bulgarian Ministry of Health. A total of 22 women completed the donor procedure in March and April. 5 men also became donors during this period, despite the restrictive measures”- Viktoria Dimitrova says and adds:

“This is a very good sign, because people continue to do good in times of social isolation. More and more young people decide to donate which gives us hope for success. The emotion and the joy when you donate cannot be described. The donors remain anonymous. They do not receive any information about the donees, but they all leave with tears of joy and say: Hopefully, I helped someone! My day and the day of the other girls from the foundation start every morning at 5. We don’t have any weekends or holidays. The best way to mark the World Donor Day on June 13 is to be with donors themselves and thank them for their brave and noble gesture. There is nothing more valuable than sharing joy.”

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

Photos: “Mothers for Donation” foundation