Afterschool Program for Children at Risk

The first school semester is nearing its end and we are very proud with the children supported by us. Their systematic efforts led to good grades. Better results increase their motivation to learn and their willingness to get involved in various initiatives at school. As we received reports about hate speech being used against some of the children since the start of the school year we met with school authorities to ensure that the rights and dignity of every child are respected. 
We are currently preparing the program for the second term and planning new activities to keep children engaged at school.

The children studied actively throughout the summer. Somehad classes in English, others in Bulgarian and mathematics. We believe that it will be easier for them at school now. They also spent a lot of time outside. Some of them were involved in completely new activities such as the children's police department. At the summer camp, they got to know the police officers, who taught them how to follow traffic rules, how to protect themselves and how to provide first aid. Role playing and interactive learning modules motivated them to actively participate, ask questions and work in a team with their peers.

The new school year has started and we will continue to support those children whose mother tongue is not Bulgarian and who need additional lessons.

Another school year is coming to an end, during which we helped children who have learning difficulties. In recent months, we carried out only attendance activities, which allowed us once again to offer children a variety of exercises and classes. We are about to part with one of the girls who has successfully completed the 12th grade. In the last 2 years she has made a lot of efforts to overcome a number of gaps in her knowledge in order to attain a higher level of literacy. Last year with the help of our partners we found her a job in a restaurant where she works in her spare time with great desire under the guidance of a mentor. In this way we provided her with a smooth transition from school to work environment.
The other children who are part of the program will continue their activities during the summer vacation. For another year, we will use this free time to help children acquire new knowledge and improve their competencies.

Unfortunately, the Covid crisis continues to affect the school learning process this school year as wellexacerbating the knowledge gaps of the children attending our program. In order to be of maximum use to them in recent months, we have continued to help them by focusing on the most important skills they need to acquire in order to be successful in the future. Some of the older students needed help to improve their skills in writing essays on various topics related to civic education. Another group had difficulty with English, especially when they had to attend school online. In addition to helping the children with homework we provided further opportunities for them to develop their English language skills. Our volunteer from India meets with them once a week to talk and play educational games prepared by her.
We also provided materials to some children to help them develop their student projects.

The fourth school year has started, during which our project will continue to provide educational support to children at risk. During the summer months we were happy to have face-to-face classes with our students again, after another lockdown. We are currently preparing individual plans to support the children and young people included in our program. Some of them, along with their desire to improve their language skills in Bulgarian, want to learn English. They are especially enthusiastic after the first meetings with our new volunteer from India. The children in our program are becoming more and more curious about other cultures. The creative workshops we do periodically bring together children from Bulgaria, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran. In this way, children are motivated to learn languages and be tolerant of each other. During the summer months, for a second year in a row, the children learned how to ride horses and take care of them as well as curious details about these animals.