Association Gavroche
Penka Stoyanova
Varna, 3-A Voinishka Str.
Bulgaria

Phone: 052/300 229
Fax: 052/302 341
www: www.gavroche-bg.org
E-mail: gavroche@vega.bg

• We issue new housing promotions
• work with street children;
• work in the Gavroche home – night and day centre for children aged 5-16
• who live in the street aiming at meeting their immediate needs;
• educational program and professional training – children learn to read, write, draw, they are encouraged to attend school;
• work for long-term placing of these children in homes – program for work with the parents aiming at returning the children in their families;
• program for socializing street children – regular meetings and mutual
  activities with children from mass schools in Varna and children with special needs;
  
• preventive work with children threatened to remain in the street and their families;
• work with young women and men over 16 – developing skills for independent life and support in providing professional qualification, home
  and employment;
• work with children who have been victims of sexual abuse;
  
• work with street children who use glue and other stuff aiming at lower usage;
• preventive work in Roma neighborhood;
• the Gavroche association organizes trainings for social work with homeless children in an institution and on the street, work with families and the Roma community;
• mutual work with other NGOs, state and local authorities, medical specialists, teachers, lawyers, journalists;
  
• direct work with children and youths at risk regarding their integration and socialization;
• direct work with the families of children and youths at risk;
• educational programs for children and youths at risk;
• functional teaching in how to read and write to children and youths at risk;
• protection of children and women’s rights;
• prevention against violence (physical, emotional, neglect and sexual) over children and youths;
• writing a Manual for protecting children;
• effective functioning of the established and equipped home for homeless children;
• implementing intervention regarding affected children and supporting their social integration;
• developing the Gavroche Home as a model of prevention, support and hope for homeless children;
• making popular the results of the work with street children aiming at encouraging the establishment of similar structures;
• developing the Gavroche association as a resource center;
• successful development of the Gavroche Social enterprise – producing and selling souvenirs made of glass, porcelain, wood.

Projects:

• “Socialization of homeless children” – 1999
• “Socialization – street children” – 2000
• “Developing the Gavroche home in Varna as a model of prevention,
  support and chance for street children” – 2000-2001
• “From children to children – integrating homeless children through sport and art” – 2001-2002
• “Integration through educating disadvantaged children” – 2001-2002
• “Social network for helping Roma people in Varna” – 2001
• “Preventing homelessness and social backwardness among Roma people” – 2001-2002
• “Preventing sexual abuse over homeless children in the city of Varna” – 2002-2003
• “Social integration through education and improving perspectives for the future of children at risk” – 2003
• “Social integration through education of Roma people in the Varna region” - 2003-2004
• “Employing permanently jobless people” – 2003-2004
• “Roma women for their own rights” – 2003
• “Constructive approaches in fighting homelessness” – 2004

The Gavroche home was established with the support of the municipality of Varna and

1. The PHARE LIEN Program of EU
2. CHILD HOPE, UK
3. United Dutch foundations
4. British know-how fund
5. Mr. Ken Howard, the Casey Trust
6. The PHARE Democracy Program of EU
7. The Embassy of UK – ambassador Short
8. The embassy of Israel – ambassador Koen
9. The “Karin dom” foundation – Mr. Ivan Stanchov
10. The Open society club – Varna
11. Beverly Balmbra
    
12. “Sisters Mother Theresa” order of charity
    
13. Amicale Femmes Council de Europe
    
14. Bulgarian navy
    
15. Captain A. Massey and the crew of HMS CAMPBELTAWN
    
16. Mr. Ljubomir Velchev
    
17. NEK Varna – Mr. Ivajlo Dimitrov
    
18. ELKOM – Mr. Lipchev
    
19. ELDOM INVEST – Mr. Velkovski
    
20. The club for Democracy – Varna – Mr. Kosta Orthodoxov
    
21. Mrs. Dobrinka Klinkers
    
22. The “Hospis Milosardie” Foundation
    
23. Mr. Svilen Gavazov
    
24. “Primorski” mayoralty
    

Volunteer work
As volunteers you can work with the children in our home and the day centre – you can play with them, you can help them learn their lessons, you can draw, make souvenirs, you can sing and dance with them, you can go for walks and excursions, you can celebrate together. You can help in painting and renovating the home. If you are a doctor, dentist, nurse or psychologist, you can help with volunteer work in curing ill children. You can also help social workers in their direct street work with homeless children and in working with families at risk.

Donations
Every day the Gavroche home is visited by 30 children of Roma origin. Here they receive food, clothes and shoes, medical care and medicines, shelter and most important – human warmth and care.

• food – daily costs for a child is about EUR 1.85, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. This can be also tinned food and packets of beans, lentils, tomato puree, jam, biscuits, tea, rice, spaghetti, pasta, vegetables in a jar
• clothes and shoes
• medicines and hygiene supplies – the costs for maintaining hygiene in
  
• the home amount at EUR 80 per month, including hygiene items, wiping sticks, brooms, soap, washing powder, toilet paper, shampoo for children. We need medicines – vitamins, antibiotics, tooth brushes and tooth paste.
• textbooks and teaching materials – notebooks, pens, pencils, white
  sheets of paper and others. Average costs per month are about EUR 200.
• sports items and facilities – balls, tools for physical training.
  • money for heating and water – expenses are about EUR 700 per month in winter and EUR 250 in summer.
• we need also money for equipment – washing machines, dishwasher,
  cookers and so on.

Gavroche Home
In 2002 the Gavroche association bought a house and yard in the “Debeli rat” countryside situated in the Elena part of the Balkan mountains. The yard is about 700 sq m, the house has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room.

I. The mission of the “Gavroches” national centre
The “Gavroches” national center helps integration and socialization of youths and children at risk in the country through providing opportunities and conditions to youths and children at risk, so that they can acquire skills for independent life and be aware of their social role and responsibilities. The “Gavroches” center is a tool for implementing the mission of the Gavroche association, the mission of similar organizations and institutions working on issues of children and youths at risk.

II. Goals:

1. Integrating and socializing youths and children at risk.
2. Developing and strengthening the “Gavroches’ center as a crisis center for children and youths at risk.
3. To turn the “Gavroches” center into a model of development for similar organizations.

Gavroche Strategy {pdf}

Gavroche Statute {pdf}

Gavroche Month Report for March {pdf}