“We are not sending you to school anymore.” This is what 14-year-old Ginka heard from her grandparents She had just finished 8th grade in primary school While almost all Bulgarian children finish high school and then sign up for university education Thousands of schoolchildren barely attend school She informed her family that she wanted to sign up at a prominent school in nearby Plovdiv a small town nestled in the outskirts of the Rhodope Mountains Perushtitsa has the highest percentage of Roma per capita in the whole region Almost one of every three people from its 5000 inhabitants are Roma (or Gypsy as many of them prefer to identify themselves) the local authorities published a Municipality Strategy for “equality incorporation and inclusion of Roma” in 2021-2023 The document identifies education as the most severe issue within the minority population It sets a priority intention to invest in “equal access“ for all children At the time of publication of the Municipality Strategy 46 per cent of the pre-schoolers and 71 per cent of the pupils in Perushtitsa come from Roma families Most of those children drop out of the school system after 8th grade and not a single one has ever graduated from a university Even though her family was reluctant to let her attend secondary school after her 14th birthday she prayed passionately weeks for open doors she managed to get into an elite Plovdiv school with advance classes offered in Biology and Chemistry she commuted daily on public transport to the city and eventually graduated with flying colours offering additional classes in Biology and Chemistry she travelled every weekend to the nation’s capital joining a class of thirty Roma from all over Bulgaria Her desire to study and her leadership potential impressed the teachers she was offered two scholarships: one at Plovdiv Medical University and one for Pharmaceutics and Computer Chemistry at the University of Sofia The temptation to stay in the nation’s capital was powerful Ginka had also finished a local Bible school She was an active member at her hometown Pentecostal Church her pastor Salcho Salchev announced from the pulpit the launching of a new program for helping children develop their full God-given potential He announced it as a way to invest in the lives of high schoolers allowing them to navigate through their educational challenges The church building would open doors for a group of Roma kids to meet in the afternoons to study their lessons under adult supervision “We will call it the Gypsy Project,” pastor Salcho declared This program will help children embrace their identity and this will change their self-awareness and will bring a new flavour to the term Gypsy: a sense of dignity and worth.” Ginka listened with a growing sense of excitement This was precisely what she had been preparing for all her life This was the fulfilment of so many dreams and prayers she told pastor Salcho that God was clearly prompting her to join the project She ignored the Sofia University scholarship opportunity and took the studies at the Medical University of Plovdiv She wanted to be closer to her hometown of Perushtitsa and contribute to the new initiative to the best of her abilities The Gypsy Project initially started as a different kind of program visited Bulgaria to teach Biblical Leadership classes to pastors God changed their vision and prompted them to seek ways to contribute to a spiritual change in Roma culture “which conflicts with every major culture around the world around the world where Gypsies are found.” They prayed for more direction and wrote a new vision prospect based on the understanding that “a change of that magnitude must start with children.. Led by the belief that accepting Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour is by far the most important single event that changes a person’s life the Brutons now had an additional perspective Faith needs to be coupled with personal development and success in educational efforts Christ’s call is “Come and follow Me,” which simply translates as “Be like Me” – a fact many people seem to miss His desire to set aside time for individuals – all of this is a form of teaching by example today would learn much more by observing real-life Christians rather than just listening to words An exemplary life is transferred on a much deeper level than a lesson presentation And if it is possible to combine personal relationships a Christian belief system and a daily portion of school material this could be the path to changing the whole culture along with pastor Salcho Salchev and a Bulgarian Bible School administrator the Brutons founded what was later called “the Gypsy Project”: a form of child evangelism and discipleship wrapped around an afterschool tutoring program The original intention was to build a new school in Perushtitsa and address head-on the problem of illiteracy The government had too many regulations for opening a school The local church offered the location and equipment and the mentors from the project took over teaching and leading Ginka Kostova undertook home visits motivating parents and explaining the concept door to door Since the Bulgarian educational system provides after-school programs only until the 4th grade the project first focused on a group of fifth graders Every class within the project consists of no more than 15 children and it has to stay connected to a local church The children receive an afternoon snack and then do their homework and study their lessons with a supervisor There is one condition for every child to stay in the program: they have to maintain their school grades This does not mean they should necessarily have excellent marks; not all children are capable of such a jump All they need to do is to invest efforts to keep their current school success “Our vision is of a changed culture of Gypsy people that embrace the positive aspects of the cultures in which they live survivalist culture and mentality that has caused them to be reviled and discriminated against for a thousand years,” declare the Brutons Their network of supporters does not pay any salaries it does provide funds for the children’s snacks textbooks and some extracurricular activities like excursions to museums and zoos The project also offers scholarships to students motivated to continue their education at a university The only condition is the same as with the after-school program: once you start earning a certain level of grades Ginka Kostova finished her education and became the first person from the whole 1500 people Roma community in Perushtitsa to hold a university degree Her dream was coming to a fulfilment beyond her wildest dreams she is appointed as the key person running the Gypsy Project She is responsible for overseeing the activities which is unnaturally late for Roma standards and she and her husband have a beautiful child Ginka’s passion is to model what it really means for a person to outgrow the ghetto mentality invest in systemic study and lead a fulfilled life as a child of God As the Gypsy Project finishes its ninth year it now serves almost two hundred children in five locations: Perushtitsa town The team now consists of five regional leaders and 38 volunteers who are being systematically trained under Ginka’s supervision they have plans to start the project in three new places The progress has made a huge impression in Perushtitsa A former MP announced that he was so inspired that he wanted to see every village and every town in his regional municipality get plugged in In a CBN documentary aired in English and in Bulgarian “Those children were not able to even dream they can visualise their future and realise their potential And as the Gypsy Project is getting ready to enter its 10th year of operation more eyes are turned to its development; more prayers are lifted for its success; more youth are committed to volunteer and lead; more children are receiving a chance to map out their lives with a strong morality Vlady Raichinov (1974) is a freelance translator journalist and Bible teacher from Bulgaria He is involved at the editorial committee of “Zornitsa” newspaper (in print since 1871) and heads a small publishing house called “Beginning of Wisdom” He is part of the pastor’s team at First Baptist Church he serves as vice president of the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance and general secretary of the Bulgarian Baptist Union Vlady and his wife Katya parent an amazing daughter named Maria At the beginning of the past century women from Kalofer were knitting laces more exquisite than Brussels lace They had not received their education in academies of art and had not been to European cities nor were they acquainted with fashion trends But they had the most important quality - desire for knowledge and creativity The Bulgarian town of Perushtitsa from the period of the Bulgarian National Revival brings us back to times when the art of Kalofer women captivated the heart of Europe becomes venue for those willing learn to knit various laces – Brussels laces frivolité laces and ‘kene’ (also known as Armenian lace) The secrets of Brussels lace were brought to Bulgaria after the Liberation by Elisaveta Karaminkova Knitting laces became a popular activity among women in the city But women were not just copying but actually creating new types of laces and thus the Kalofer lace was born The women in Kalofer managed to quickly open a school In less than half a century they created their own style that received global exposure and received gold medal at an international exhibition Ema Zhunich who leads the lace-knitting workshop in Perushtitsa But what is this purely Bulgarian thing that Kalofer women introduced to lace-knitting “Brussels lace is very airy and is characterized by great delicacy but it is not very stable and cannot be often washed or starched,” Emma Zhunich says “The first innovation was tightening the canvas and making the lace tight The second is that Kalofer laces are characterized by dozens of patterns in the shape of sunflowers A curious fact is that even today such exquisite patterns are rarely seen in the home of Brussels lace - Bruges.” Emma Zhunich says Kalofer Lace is expensive needlework in this country the situation is different Those who have the money have no taste for art and would rather buy a plastic doily Those who appreciate the art of lace-knitting have no money to afford it The master of lace knitting works in the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences where she explores musical theater but her mission is reviving at least some of the traditions and skills of our ancestors She had spent 16 years looking for an elderly woman who could show her how to use the needle from her grandmother's attic That is why she is also happy when young people show interest in this art and ask her about some of its secrets in the homeland of Brussels lace continuity between generations is a fact while in Bulgaria few girls learn the skills of their grandparents Flemish women stay in front of their homes in traditional clothing Tourists take pictures or buy some of their laces rather than going to the shop round the corner The best thing is that little girls skillfully help the elderly women when knitting In Bulgaria we say that knitting is for the old people but the young do not know what a pleasure it is to make something yourself – first using your imagination and then your hands This cannot be compared even to the most expensive laces from the Flemish shops Generations of Bulgarians have been deprived of that.” But if we preserve something useful from the past it would bring us benefits sooner or later Only on the Day of Bravery and Holiday of the Bulgarian Army (May 6) we will provide our visitors with the opportunity to enter three of perhaps the most interesting machines from our outdoor exhibition Dozens of enthusiasts and nature lovers will kick off the 44th edition of the Move and Win campaign with a spring hike to Bozhur Hut The meeting point will be the Vladishki Bridge in Veliko Tarnovo The third edition of the Samardala Festival will be held on 3 May in the central square of Nova Zagora is used as a spice and is harvested at the peak of its flowering in May we will provide our visitors with the opportunity to enter three. english@bnr.bg The "Bloody" or Red Lake near the village of Elshitsa has become quite a popular place to visit in the last year because of the unusual color that its waters have acquired You can reach it after turning off the Trakia highway and shortly before entering the village you have to turn left You can leave your vehicle at the end of the road but think once again  about whether you want to do this The village itself is located in a mountainous area among the southernmost branches of Sashtinska Sredna Gora Its old name is Arnautkyoi or Arbanasi and it was probably founded by Orthodox Albanian settlers Copper and pyrite ore were mined in its area and since 1999 the mine has been liquidated As a result of the activity over the years and the pollution but the warnings from the authorities are that: “Direct contact with the water surface can cause burns on the body The fauna and flora in the vicinity have been completely destroyed and due to the highly acidic and toxic water the locals advise tourists not to visit the lake at all The municipality has a plan to empty it by 2026 After we’ve prepared for you articles with useful information about what has been happening for almost two years now with the coronavirus epidemic it is time to list the places where you can get vaccinated against the infection about 1.8 million of the country's population are vaccinated with two doses The immunization process began in December last year first with medical staff and then with people from priority groups green corridors began to open for all comers and all you need to do is go to the place and carry an identity document and for anyone with more than 180 days since the second immunization According to the website of the Regional Health Inspectorate the opened offices are as follows by regions: One possibility is in the UNIVERSITY MULTIPROFILE HOSPITAL FOR ACTIVE TREATMENT - PLOVDIV AD but in the DCC to the hospital is the other option for immunization of all who are in the neighborhood You can get the vaccine in DCC VII - PLOVDIV Vaptsarov in MULTIPROFILE HOSPITAL FOR ACTIVE TREATMENT ST For those living in the area around Komatevo and Ostromila the office at the Multi-profile Transport Hospital - Plovdiv The offices in the Regional Health Inspectorate - Plovdiv with address 1 Perushtitsa Street offices 19 and 20 and in DCC PULMED EOOD on 1A Perushtitsa Street work without a day off (vaccines are given here around the clock) In this part of the city the offices are the most numerous and you can choose the most convenient one according to your location The first possibility is in the DIAGNOSTIC-CONSULTATIVE CENTER SVETI GEORGI EOOD which is located at 15A Vasil Aprilov Blvd. but this time located at 110 Shesti Septemvri Blvd (DIAGNOSTIC-CONSULTATIVE CENTER II - PLOVDIV EOOD) is the next option it seems that the closest is the immunization office on 5 Monday Market Square or it is to the DIAGNOSTIC-CONSULTATIVE CENTER I - PLOVDIV EOOD Near the station you can choose between Multidisciplinary Hospital for Active Treatment Med Line Clinic AD at 37 Filip Makedonski St or MULTIPROFILE HOSPITAL FOR ACTIVE TREATMENT ST MINA - PLOVDIV EOOD on 59 Ivan Vazov Street There are also green vaccination corridors at the Medicus Alpha private hospital second or third dose of the available vaccines in the Diagnostic - Consultative Center V - Plovdiv EOOD at 42 Saedinenie Street usually near large shopping malls or METRO stores You can usually find up-to-date information about them in the media but at the moment all of the above are active and you can take advantage at any time if you wish