Financed by Switzerland through the Stability Pact
of the Council of Europe, with head-coordinator Mrs. Yordanka
Nenova – chairperson of SAGE and member of the Managing Board
of the “Bistra and Galina” Foundation. In 2001 the project entered
its crucial phase. From 10th to 16th July 2001, an international
summer camp was organized in Smolyan, with the participation of
9 countries from South-East Europe. The students from the Balkan
countries worked together in an improvised one-week school consisting
of 6 classrooms: “The language of street and the media”, “The
language of love and friendship”, “The language of our past and
family roots” and the like. During the camp, words like “friendship”,
“language”, and “culture” were among the most often used ones.
Nevermind that, although gathering together at meals and discos,
each classroom had a different route and goal. The most exotic
sites of Smolyan and the region – Shiroka Luka, the Agushevs’
Inns, Pamporovo, Momchilovtsi, etc., welcomed the young expectations
of the Balkans for a better world. Together with the National
Committee of Bulgaria for the European Year of Languages, the
Bulgarian Ministry of Education, Open Society Club – Rousse and
Smolyan, the “Bistra and Galina” Foundation was a partner in the
organization and a sponsor of the SEE*JOY camp.
In
November 2001 in Rousse was held the final meeting of the coordinators
on the “Classrooms across Borders” project, with 12 countries
participating: Albania, Romania, Ukraine, Macedonia, Slovenia,
Croatia, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina,
Kosovo region and Bulgaria. The expert meeting for evaluation
of the project was hosted and sponsored by the “Bistra and Galina”
Hotel and Foundation.
Project
for integrated education of disabled children.
On
6th September 2001 in Geneva the highest reward, ever assigned
by UNESCO for exceptional achievements in the sphere of education
and innovation, was granted to the Foundation – the “Ian Amos
Commenius” medal. It is the first time that Bulgaria has been
granted such a prestigious award, and it belongs to Rousse – to
the Vocational School for Machine Building “A.Burov”. The medal
was awarded for the joint project of Bulgarian Ministry of Education
and Science represented by the Vocational School and the “Bistra
and Galina” Foundation – for integrated education of children
with special needs. It was awarded at the 46th International UNESCO
Conference on Education in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5th – 8th
September 2001. The forum was on the topic: “Education for all,
so that we learn to live together: contents and strategies – problems
and solutions”. 80 ministers of education, about 800 teachers
and delegates from 180 countries attended the conference. The
Head of the Education Sector of UNESCO, John Daniel, and the President
of the International Bureau on Education, Peter de Meyer, awarded
8 laureates from all over the world – 5 individual and 3 group
awards, one of which was granted to the project of Bulgarian Ministry
of Education and Science, represented by the Vocational School
for Machine Building “A.Burov” and the “Bistra and Galina” Foundation.
“The
Christmas Fantasies of 6a”
At
the beginning of December 2001 was launched a joint charity campaign
of “Bistra and Galina” Foundation, School Association for Global
Education SAGE, “Darik Radio” and “Baba Tonka” MS for selling
Christmas greeting cards. The students of 6a class at “Baba Tonka”
MS wrote 31 essays and poems about Christmas and New Year’s Eve,
which the Foundation compiled in a small collection. Twenty of
them were selected to be broadcast every day until Christmas in
the morning block of “Darik Radio”, in the specially designed
program: “The Christmas Fantasies of 6a”. The essays were performed
by the authors themselves, and the program would end with the
appeal to the people of Rousse to visit the Christmas stalls of
the Foundation and purchase cards for charity. Volunteers and
scholarship students of the Foundation and SAGE also joined the
campaign, as well as students from the UNESCO associated schools
in Rousse. The sum raised amounted to 1336 lv. and was used for
the funds on the programs: “The Family of the Good People” of
the Foundation and “Teachers’ Children” of SAGE. The collection
book “The Christmas Fantasies of 6a” was granted First prize at
the competition of “L. Karavelov” Regional Library – Rousse.
Launched
last year, the joint project for supplying humanitarian aid from
Holland continued during 2001. The Foundation team and Mrs. Elena
Antonic – representative of the Dutch organization “Stichting Dialysehulp
Buitenland” and coordinator of the humanitarian projects at University
Hospitals – Holland, once again joined their efforts. As a result,
with the assistance of the Regional Committee of Bulgarian Red Cross
and SAGE, five more containers of humanitarian aid were received
and distributed in Rousse – valuables amounting to 88600 lv. by
customs declarations. Generally, they consisted of furnishing, equipment,
and materials for hospitals, schools, kindergartens and children’s
institutions. The aid was donated to: Home for Medical and Social
Service of Children, Children and Adolescents’ Center for Mental
Health, Home for Mentally Retarded Children and Adolescents – Prostorno,
Home for Upbringing and Education of Children Deprived of Parental
Care “Raina Gateva”, Social-pedagogical Boarding School – Ostritsa,
“L.Karavelov” Primary School – Popovo, “Aleko Konstantinov” Primary
School – Rousse, Secondary Art School “Prof. V.Stoyanov”, ELS “Geo
Milev”, Vocational School of Civil Engineering “P.Penev”, Vocational
School of Electronics and Electrical Technologies “Apostol Arnaudov”,
Vocational School for Machine Building “A.Burov”, Subsidiary School
“SS Cyril and Methodius”, School Association for Global Education
SAGE, Home for Physically Impaired Elderly People – Rousse, Disabled
People Society “Courage”, Regional Dispensary for Oncological Diseases,
Regional Dispensary for Mental Diseases, Regional Dispensary for
Pneumophtisiatric Diseases, Polyclinic for Active Treatment in Rousse
and Byala, Second Children’s Department of the Polyclinic for Active
Treatment in Rousse, Bulgarian Red Cross, Regional Social Support
Service.
In
November 2001 in Rousse was held the final meeting of the coordinators
on the “Classrooms across Borders” project, with 12 countries
participating: Albania, Romania, Ukraine, Macedonia, Slovenia,
Croatia, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina,
Kosovo region and Bulgaria. The expert meeting for evaluation
of the project was hosted and sponsored by the “Bistra and Galina”
Hotel and Foundation.
On
6th September 2001 in Geneva the highest reward, ever assigned
by UNESCO for exceptional achievements in the sphere of education
and innovation, was granted to the Foundation – the “Ian Amos
Commenius” medal. It is the first time that Bulgaria has been
granted such a prestigious award, and it belongs to Rousse – to
the Vocational School for Machine Building “A.Burov”. The medal
was awarded for the joint project of Bulgarian Ministry of Education
and Science represented by the Vocational School and the “Bistra
and Galina” Foundation – for integrated education of children
with special needs. It was awarded at the 46th International UNESCO
Conference on Education in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5th – 8th
September 2001. The forum was on the topic: “Education for all,
so that we learn to live together: contents and strategies – problems
and solutions”. 80 ministers of education, about 800 teachers
and delegates from 180 countries attended the conference. The
Head of the Education Sector of UNESCO, John Daniel, and the President
of the International Bureau on Education, Peter de Meyer, awarded
8 laureates from all over the world – 5 individual and 3 group
awards, one of which was granted to the project of Bulgarian Ministry
of Education and Science, represented by the Vocational School
for Machine Building “A.Burov” and the “Bistra and Galina” Foundation.
At
the beginning of December 2001 was launched a joint charity campaign
of “Bistra and Galina” Foundation, School Association for Global
Education SAGE, “Darik Radio” and “Baba Tonka” MS for selling
Christmas greeting cards. The students of 6a class at “Baba Tonka”
MS wrote 31 essays and poems about Christmas and New Year’s Eve,
which the Foundation compiled in a small collection. Twenty of
them were selected to be broadcast every day until Christmas in
the morning block of “Darik Radio”, in the specially designed
program: “The Christmas Fantasies of 6a”. The essays were performed
by the authors themselves, and the program would end with the
appeal to the people of Rousse to visit the Christmas stalls of
the Foundation and purchase cards for charity. Volunteers and
scholarship students of the Foundation and SAGE also joined the
campaign, as well as students from the UNESCO associated schools
in Rousse. The sum raised amounted to 1336 lv. and was used for
the funds on the programs: “The Family of the Good People” of
the Foundation and “Teachers’ Children” of SAGE. The collection
book “The Christmas Fantasies of 6a” was granted First prize at
the competition of “L. Karavelov” Regional Library – Rousse.
Launched
last year, the joint project for supplying humanitarian aid from
Holland continued during 2001. The Foundation team and Mrs. Elena
Antonic – representative of the Dutch organization “Stichting Dialysehulp
Buitenland” and coordinator of the humanitarian projects at University
Hospitals – Holland, once again joined their efforts. As a result,
with the assistance of the Regional Committee of Bulgarian Red Cross
and SAGE, five more containers of humanitarian aid were received
and distributed in Rousse – valuables amounting to 88600 lv. by
customs declarations. Generally, they consisted of furnishing, equipment,
and materials for hospitals, schools, kindergartens and children’s
institutions. The aid was donated to: Home for Medical and Social
Service of Children, Children and Adolescents’ Center for Mental
Health, Home for Mentally Retarded Children and Adolescents – Prostorno,
Home for Upbringing and Education of Children Deprived of Parental
Care “Raina Gateva”, Social-pedagogical Boarding School – Ostritsa,
“L.Karavelov” Primary School – Popovo, “Aleko Konstantinov” Primary
School – Rousse, Secondary Art School “Prof. V.Stoyanov”, ELS “Geo
Milev”, Vocational School of Civil Engineering “P.Penev”, Vocational
School of Electronics and Electrical Technologies “Apostol Arnaudov”,
Vocational School for Machine Building “A.Burov”, Subsidiary School
“SS Cyril and Methodius”, School Association for Global Education
SAGE, Home for Physically Impaired Elderly People – Rousse, Disabled
People Society “Courage”, Regional Dispensary for Oncological Diseases,
Regional Dispensary for Mental Diseases, Regional Dispensary for
Pneumophtisiatric Diseases, Polyclinic for Active Treatment in Rousse
and Byala, Second Children’s Department of the Polyclinic for Active
Treatment in Rousse, Bulgarian Red Cross, Regional Social Support
Service.