For the third year in a row, Bulgaria’s State Agency for Child Protection will honour people and organizations that have helped children and their families regain their faith that kindness exists. "Today, more than ever, we all need to be infected with examples of good," said Dr. Eleonora Lilova, chairwoman of the State Agency for Child Protection. At a special ceremony today (March 17^th), the most outstanding examples of the past year will be presented, selected by an expert commission of the Agency among dozens of proposals made by various institutions, mayors, trade unions and employers' organizations.

"Modern ambassadors of kindness always possess the same thing, namely - big hearts, compassion, responsibility in changing destinies, in helping people as soon as they realize that someone is in trouble. They enjoy other people's happiness, suffer with other people's pain and act as soon as they have the opportunity to improve the lives of children and their families. Such are our ambassadors this year”, says Dr. Nikolova. 

“The youngest among them are students from the volunteer club at the 2^nd High School "Prof. Nikola Marinov” in the town of Targovishte. During the pandemic, they devised various ways to distract their fellow citizens from the sombre topic, at least for a while. For example, they put notes with positive messages in various public places around the town. They wrote special messages to the people on the front lines in the battle with Covid-19”.

Assoc. Prof. Doncho Donchev, a ear, nose and throat specialist at the Military Medical Academy, is also among the winners.

He has helped hundreds of young patients “hear” the world and, despite being infected several times during the Covid-19 pandemic, he did not stop working. The founder of the Bulgarian team of athletes with Down syndrome Slav Petkov is also an "Ambassador of Goodness".

His athletes brought world pride to Bulgaria, winning three silver medals at the World Championships in Italy in 2021, Eleonora Lilova explains.

The statuette - a symbol of gratitude, will be given to the incredible women behind the Foundation "For Good", who were among the finalists in the campaign Enlightener of the Year of the Bulgarian National Radio. Over the past year, they have managed to provide scholarships for the children of doctors and teachers who have lost the battle with Covid-19. At the end of 2021, the scholarship recipients of the fund are 30 children aged 3 to 17. The Foundation is currently organizing a campaign to help Ukrainian citizens entering the territory of Bulgaria.

• More than 38,000 Ukrainian refugees reside in Bulgaria

"It is vital to see the ambassadors of goodness among us and to lead us by their examples and deeds so that the good becomes contagious. Everyone can be good and useful, as long as they ask," says the chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection. She clarifies that the institution is a member of the operational coordination group formed by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria in the field of social issues, which is currently helping refugees from the hostilities in Ukraine.

"Ukrainian citizens, as well as Bulgarian ones, can turn to us to take coordinating actions to help them, because all children in Bulgaria enjoy equal rights and we must help everyone. We do it both in terms of their basic needs - food and a suitable place to live, and for their return to school. Inclusion in the education system is very important and should not be interrupted for children fleeing the war in Ukraine. The Ministry of Education announced that there are enough places in the country to cover more than 60,000 children in school and nearly 14,000 places in kindergartens”, Eleonora Lilova says.

The Ministry of Education has also opened a telephone number through which consultations can be conducted - 0800 16 111. The State Agency for Child Protection also provide psychological assistance at the national hotline for children.

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Her advice as a specialist to all parents at this very moment is not to avoid the topic of war.

"Children need to be reassured that they have a safe home, but also to feel compassion for their peers, who are currently going through something as terrible as war. And what I would advise parents is to talk to their children, to understand how they perceive what is happening, what emotions and fears they feel and to guide them, if they are older, how to look for reliable information. To discuss the ways in which they can help as much as possible. The most stressful thing in the war is the expectation and the uncertainty and that is why we have to take care of the mental peace of our children today," Dr. Eleonora Lilova believes.

English version Rositsa Petcova