Each will contribute to the future, for good or ill. Bulgaria is too fragile to lose its children to violence, prostitution or crime. With this in mind, several years ago Rotary Clubs in the Columbia, SC area banded together behind the leadership of the Rotary Club of Forest Acres to support ongoing efforts by the Rotary Club in Columbia's sister city of Plovdiv. Though it is not the largest of Bulgaria's districts, the Plovdiv district has the largest number of children in these homes. These homes are inadequate.
Resources are extremely limited and living conditions are almost unbearable.
These infrastructural investments do not have the same kind of visual public relations impact as some of the other purchases, but have greatly improved the quality of life in the two facilities. In addition, the children's home also was the beneficiary of several purchases that impacted the lives of the children in a more visible way. While kitchen equipment, sports equipment and LEGO sets are prominent visible symbols of Rotary's cooperative commitment to this project, much remains to be done. One final innovative and important step was to use some of these funds to hire a psychologist to work with the children at the children's home, helping them to develop self-respect, constructive conflict resolution skills, and a positive outlook. These competitive grants provided a one-time opportunity for clubs to implement projects that directly benefited children.