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1997 June 19th – after d-r Krasimira Aleksandrova’s idea, the Democratic Union of Women in Gorna Oryahovitsa and its leader Tanya Ruseva makes the decision of establishing a center working with women victims of domestic violence.September 17th – the Municipal Council, at a session, gives for the needs of the Center two rooms – municipal property. September 20th – the Center receives the name Maria Center, as a structure of the Democratic Union of Women. October 29 – a project is worked out, with which the Democratic Union of Women applies at PHARE – LIEN Program. 1998 December 18th - Tanya Ruseva signs a contract with Mr. Jacque Wunenburger, the leader of the Delegation of the European Commission concerning financing the project “Creation of a Center for Work with Women Victims of Violence”.April 2nd 1999 – inauguration of Maria Center . - By the end of 1999 there are189 visits and telephone calls for information, emotional support and consultative help. 2000 - Charity Know
How finances a project, called “Violence
on Women and Their Children”. A hot telephone line
starts working for women victims of domestic violence. - A project “Together
Against Violence on Women and Children”, financed
by Foundation “Help for Charity in Bulgaria”. Agreements for cooperation
on the problems of domestic violence are concluded between Maria
Center and Municipal Administration, Regional Police Station, Municipal
Office for Social Help, the Labor Bureau. Created programs for psychological
consultation, juridical advising, and consultation via mail. Maria
Center is included in the national net of NGOs, which help women
victims of violence. - In 2000
– 298 visits and telephone calls. 2001 - A project “Prevention
and Struggle Against Domestic Violence – I”, financed
by “Open Society” Foundation. The first in Bulgaria social survey
about the rate of domestic violence is carried out among the students
at the high schools in Gorna Oryahovitsa and it helps the team to
create prevention programs for students and teachers. Over 70 students
and 40 pedagogues and counselors from the high schools in the town
are trained. - A project “Girls
at Risk – Prevention of Traffic”, financed by PHARE – ACCESS.
Opened a 12-hour telephone Hot Line for prevention of traffic, carried
out 168 class lessons with over 440 students from 5th to 11th class,
trained on the topic 90 representatives of government institutions.
Maria Center becomes a member of the National Net for Equal Opportunities.
2002 - A project “Prevention
and Struggle Against Domestic Violence – II”, financed by
“Open Society” Foundation. Created a Youth Club with the Center.
Workshops with pedagogues, discussions with students, a seminar
with police officers are carried out on the problems of the domestic
violence. Maria Center is one of the initiators for a national lobbyist
campaign for passing the bill against domestic violence. 983 postcards
“I vote FOR the bill. And you?” sent to the Chairman of the Parliament. - A Project “From
Children for Children”, financed by the Foundation for Development
of Civil Initiatives. Equipped a children’s consultative office
as a part of Maria Center. 2003 -A project “Program for Empowering
Girls Against Traffic and Conflict Mediation” for
girls from the Social school, financed by the German committee
“World Day of Prayer”. Created programs for children
from the Social Specialized School: empowering for finding jobs,
solving conflicts, prevention of traffic; printed booklets “Bulgarian
traditional and church celebrations”; organized two excursions for
students at the Social Specialized School. -A project “Open Telephone Line for
Women Victims of Domestic Violence”, financed by
the World Bank. Psychologists work on the Open Telephone Line which
gives a chance to the women who want to be anonymous or live in
far-away settlements to get information, emotional support, and
specialized consultative help. - Project
“Traffic of Women and Children – Violation of the Human Rights”,
financed by the Democratic Commission with the US Embassy. Expanding
the activities of the Center outside the town – in 8 other towns
and villages in the district. Training’s with students, teachers
and parents on the problems of the traffic in Strazhitsa, Dryanovo
and Svishtov. There will be more training’s in Zlataritsa, Lyaskovets,
Polski Trambesh, Elena. In 2003 – 708 visits and telephone calls in Maria Center. 2004 - Maria Center receives a license from the Ministry of Labor and
Social Policy for giving social services to elderly people. - A project “Maria Means Hope”,
financed by the Global Women’s Fund. - October 12th – Maria Center organizes a regional Round
Table “Traffic of Women and Children
– Violation of the Human Rights”.’’ Duration: 12 months (December 2004 – December 2005) Main activities: · experience with victims
of violation will work under supervision; · Open Telephone Line
for women and children, victims of domestic violation – 8 hours
every workday. A psychologist with 3 year- Consultative help for
women and children victims of domestic violation- by a psychologist,
psychotherapist, lawyer; · Publishing and distributing
info and advert materials (stickers, advertising Open Telephone
Line, information brochures). Krasimira Aleksandrova, MD – Chairperson of the Managing Council,
psychiatrist
Duration: 2 years (May 2003 – May 2005) Description of the project: The project expects active counteraction to involving girls from the Social Specialized School into traffic, slavery, as well as other situations of abuse through consultative help and a number of training’s. The girls receive information about the traffic as a violation against human rights, as well as an opportunity of an informed choice, through discussing films, cases, and work in small groups. The pedagogues and social workers at the Social Specialized School gain skills to identify girls at risk, acquire support of their motivation to work with them and, when necessary, to direct them to the consultative programs of Maria Center. The training’s for solving conflicts aim the students gaining skills to overcome conflict situations and cope with team work. Especially stressed is the program for empowering – training’s how to look for and find work (identify the practical steps at looking for work and successfully present themselves in front of employers; job contracts and worker’s rights). Through the planned celebration of birthdays and Christian holidays, together with the volunteers from the Youth Club at Maria Center, we are striving the young people from the Social Specialized School (most of them orphans) to feel themselves as important, to learn how to organize by themselves holidays and celebrations and to respect the Christian traditions in their future families. In connection to this is the published brochure “Bulgarian Church and Traditional Celebrations.” We will present the results from the monitoring on the project to the Governmental Agency for Protection of Children, Governmental Commission for Struggle against anti-social behavior of minor and under aged, and NGOs working with children in institutions. We would like to initiate a discussion about these children’s destiny and future.
Financing: Kingdom of The Netherlands’ government at MATRA-CAP
Program 1. Training for the sergeants and officers at the Regional
Police Department in Gorna Oryahovitsa – psychological aspects of
the domestic violence, authority of the police in case of domestic
violence (juridical aspects), work on certain cases from the police
practice, explaining main points in the project law against domestic
violence. Carrying out inquiries among the police officers after
each training, processing and analyzing results. December 1st - started the work on a 20-month project Programme for Empowerment of Young People, Raised, Taught and Brought up in Institutions, financed by EU on PHARE Programme - Development of Civic Society 2002. 2005 The work on Project Programme for Empowerment of Young People,
Raised, Taught and Brought up in Institutions financed by EU on
Programme PHARE - Development of Civic Society 2002 is going on. 2006
8TH November, 2006 Center “Maria” received the Annual reward of the Regional Direction Police – Veliko Tarnovo “For active partnership in the achieving of prevention and in connection with the holiday of the Bulgarian Police” 2007 Successfully finished the work on the projects “Program for Enpowering of young boys and girls, raised, trained and educaled in institutions” and “Increasing of the opportunities for employment”. 2008 1st March, 2007 – 31st August, 2008 1st March, 2007 – 30th June, 2008 23rd August 5th November 20th November |
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