Nikola Furnadzhiev dreams about his children going to school, building them a home and all of them living in a normal environment. He’s a builder and part of the Community Council in the Lukovitsa neighbourhood.
It was difficult for him to finish high school. Money was scarce. But his parents always supported him in everything he wanted to do. He became a builder – internal lining, drywalling, painting and plastering are his specialty. He got married and became the father of four daughters. He’s proud that the oldest one – Annie, has finished a course in English in the “Code Success” project of TSA.
Nikola’s biggest dream is to live with integrity and in accordance with the law. This is why 15 years ago he bought the land on which his house is built. However, because of family property disputes the deeds of a house still can’t be changed.
This prompted Nikola to buy a lot from a regulated and subdivided plot zoned for local families through the TSA’s “Urban Planning – Everybody Wins” project.
The Trust for Social Achievement’s efforts started back in 2014 in four neighborhoods in the towns of Peshtera, Dupnitsa and Kyustendil. Different approaches were required to meet the various challenges encountered while regulating and working to include each of the neighborhoods in the urban plan. Based on successful results achieved in these three neighborhoods, TSA now aims to ensure that nearly 2000 families live in secure and legal homes. We are also carrying out an active campaign to disseminate the tested model in 30 other towns and cities in Bulgaria.
With this mission and goal in mind, new, legal construction will take place in Peshtera’s Lukovitsa neighbourhood, adhering to the regulatory framework of the Planning and Development Act. People will become owners of land and legal homes. They will live in a secure environment, children will grow up in more peaceful settings. They will contribute to the city budget by paying their taxes and by participating as active citizens in their communities. Their addresses will be registered, they will be given National IDs so that they can have better access to healthcare, education, and social welfare.
In short – they will live the lives of normal Bulgarian citizens.
“I want my children to get an education and to live in a home which gives them security and peace”, says Nikola as he picks up the tools with which he’s about to build his new home.
Trust
