Karina's Projects

Our first project is the Baba Tonka House located in the very center of Russe in northeast Bulgaria.

In the partnership between Karina, Friendship Church, and The Trussell Trust, UK (www.trusselltrust.org) we envision two simultaneous activities in the Baba Tonka house, a Day Center on the first floor and a Protected Home on the second floor:

1. Setting up a small group home for young adults who are “care leavers”. These young adults have lived their entire lives in an orphanage and have been forced to leave when they turned 18. They do not have their own families for support. They need to find housing and employment. They are extremely vulnerable to becoming victims of all types of abuse because they do not know how to live outside of an institution.

We help the young adults with: dressing, undressing, washing, feeding, toilet use, cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, work with electric devices, shopping, telephone use, communication skills, visit to cinema, theater, café, taking care of small animals, and/or work with personal documents.

2. Reaching out to various groups of people in need at our Day Center:

• Children with disabilities and their families (prevention of abandonment)
• Young adults with disabilities
• Single mothers

Foreign and Bulgarian specialists in physiotherapy, psycho-social work, social work and occupational therapy train, evaluate and regularly supervise the staff. The staff consists of three people with experience in physiotherapy, employment/occupational therapy, and social activities. They organize the every-day activities of the young people, following an individual plan for each one.

The renovations on the building that is being transformed into the Baba Tonka House (pictured above) are sponsored by Beautiful Bulgaria, a government program, TBACT UK, and Karina Association. In order to meet all these needs, we need volunteers and financial support to secure this project for the next year. Keep reading to learn more about how you can help.

The Karina Association's first project video was made to present the institution Saint Magdalene in Rudnik, Varna Municipality and the need for rehabilitation of the children living there.

With your support, more children could receive care and we can educate families in the proper care of their disabled children to forestall placement of children into institutions in the future.