This project is part of an Initiative for support of vulnerable families to overcome difficulties in the context of the pandemic. It is implemented under the We Care project, aiming to improve infant and maternal health outcomes of Roma communities in Bulgaria. Within the Initiative, the TSA supports 295 families from 8 locations in Bulgaria. Designed in two phases, the Initiative includes:
- Provision of direct support to low-income families with children up to 3 years old;
- Advocacy for sustainable solutions in long-term: improvement of policies and social measures in support of most excluded families and young children;
- Community participation;
The foundation implements the project in the “Iztok” neighborhood in Rakitovo. In the conditions of a state of emergency, hundreds of families were left without income and had no opportunity to meet daily and urgent needs for food, hygiene materials, and medicines.
Many people in Rakitovo lost their job, registered in the labor offices or went on unpaid leaves, and other families working outside the country returned home - this has a negative impact on the health and opportunities for the full development of the child and increases the risk of malnutrition and poor hygienic conditions.
The project aims at supporting 30 families - expected direct beneficiaries are 350.
Key Project Activities:
- Direct support to low-income families and infants – provision of specific products to address identified urgent needs of pregnant women and children up to 3 years for the period of 4 months, with a budget of 40 BGN per family - provision of drugs, based on medical prescription; food packages in support of regular and adequate nutrition; masks, disinfectants, and other hygienic agents; daily care products for infants, etc.;
- Covering costs related to accessing health services during pregnancy of uninsured pregnant women (payment of medical examination, including test costs in case of complication during pregnancy of uninsured women, living in poverty);
- Raising awareness on preventative measures for protection from the pandemic;
- Advocacy, community empowerment and participation.