25th July 2013
Sue Lehmann, a member of TSA’s Advisory Board, will travel to Bulgaria in July to conduct a series of meetings with NGOs throughout Bulgaria. Ms. Lehmann will observe successful models and best practices for improving educational achievement and self-sufficiency in order to break the poverty cycle among disadvantaged communities in Bulgaria.
During her visit, Ms. Lehmann, who is a Board Member of Teach for America and Harlem Children’s Zone in the U.S., will meet with the Teach for Bulgaria program, which strives to ensure quality education for every child in Bulgaria through activities similar to those of Teach for America. She will also be introduced to the Arete Youth Foundation, which aims to build sustainable social networks and encourages educational achievement, volunteering, and leadership. After that Ms. Lehmann will visit the Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance – Amalipe in Veliko Turnovo, where she will be meet with schools involved in their national program to prevent school dropout and increase access to education for Roma children.
In addition to education Ms. Lehamann is interested in employment. She is a Board Member of one of the most successful civil initiatives in the U.S.—STRIVE National Partnership, which encourages employment in vulnerable communities. In a similar vein, she will meet interns at HEMUS Ltd. in Velingrad, who are being trained to weave carpets in order to join the company as full-time workers. Also, Ms. Lehmann will have a closer look at the issues related to small farms in Bulgaria when she meets with farm workers in the Plovdiv district, who are managing to provide for their families with financial help and agricultural mentoring provided by the Land Foundation.
Ms. Lehmann will also participate in a business breakfast with the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum, where the topic will focus on best American and Bulgarian practices related to popularizing and implementing international standards for public-private partnerships as well as opportunities for corporate social responsibility in Bulgaria.