Tanya's Dream: 15 years working in Bulgaria to close child institutions

The Berlin wall fell in 1989. This historical moment marked the end of the Soviet Union and the communist era, and the beginning of a largescale move towards a capitalist system in Bulgaria and elsewhere. The transition to a market economy meant widespread disruption to daily life. Changes took place on all levels of society and they deeply affected everyone across the eastern bloc. People struggled to manage financially and poverty was commonplace.
The ramifications of these changes are still felt to this day in various ways, and their impact will probably live on forever in people’s memories. For instance, many will recall harrowing images of children in institutional care in Eastern Europe during the 1990s and at the beginning of this century. Often, institutions were the only social safety net available for families who were struggling to provide for their children.
“Studies have shown that institutional care has a negative impact on the wellbeing of children. “There is a wealth of evidence that shows that children suffer tremendously - developmentally, cognitively, emotionally and behaviourally growing up in these soulless facilities,” says Delia Pop,
director of programmes and global advocacy for Hope and Homes for Children.
The Bulgarian Government is planning to close all child institutions by 2025. For the last 15 years, Oak Foundation has been supporting its partners to address the lack of resources, problems of low capacity, and lack of services and coordination in the development of a national child protection system. Read more about this here (2017 Annual Report, pages 8-13: www.oakfnd.org/...
This grant falls under Oak’s Prevent Child Sexual Abuse Programme, which works to stop child sexual abuse. We believe that our societies have the responsibility to help children thrive. The effects of childhood sexual abuse are long-lasting and often devastating. We believe that children everywhere deserve a positive future: the chance to grow and learn in safety - free from the threat of sexual abuse. To this end we have supported organisations that share this commitment with multi-year project and core support grants for the last 20 years. Find out more here: www.oakfnd.org/...