site.btaBTA Director General Opens Discussion Aimed at Promoting Foster Care
Presenting good examples in foster care is a way to encourage more people to become foster parents, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev at the opening of a discussion on the "Foster Me" project. The event was organized by BTA and the Social Assistance Agency at the BTA National Press Club in Petrich (Southwestern Bulgaria).
Valchev pointed out that the initiative aims to present stories about people who show empathy without expecting anything in return. In this regard, he recalled the work of the Petrich-born poet Evtim Evtimov and the song "Love for Love," which has become a symbol of selfless human kindness.
Valchev recalled that the "Foster Me" initiative began on April 6, and was implemented jointly with the Social Assistance Agency and with the support of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Its launch was attended by the Secretary General of the Holy Synod, Bishop Gerasim, as well as the then caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Hasan Ademov.
The main goal of the project is to collect and popularize good examples of foster care, which will encourage more Bulgarians to help children and families at risk. Valchev drew attention to a downward trend in the number of foster families in Bulgaria. At the launch of the initiative, the data showed 1,629 registered foster families, in which 1,518 children were placed. According to current data, there are now 1,604 foster families with 1,488 children placed in them.
The Director General added that by the end of the year, BTA plans to collect all the presented stories in a printed edition, which will also be published in electronic format.
Valchev said that efforts to promote foster care should be constant. "Every family can find themselves in a difficult moment. Even the healthiest family does not know what test they may face. It is good to have someone to lean on," said Valchev. According to him, society should show that it knows how to show empathy, and institutions should encourage people to help each other. "Through institutions such as the Social Assistance Agency, Bulgaria shows its citizens that it is not so difficult to give 'love for love without measuring with scales,'" concluded the Director General, quoting the song by Evtim Evtimov.
/NZ/
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