Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Life for the children at the institute in Stoikite has really started to improve. The children are getting their bedrooms refurbished, we have received clothes, boots, stationary, treats, and toiletries. Things are really starting to change and there is a good feeling now with the children. We still require summer/winter clothing and stationary and toiletries will be an on going need.

The warmer weather will be approaching and we have been concerned that the heating fund may be forgotten and the children may have to endure another freezing winter, could we all forward the following to all our contact:

Dear Friends and Community,
I am sorry that you are in the position of having to hear a plea for help, but if I cannot turn to you I would be turning my back on a promise I have made. We live in a society that does many great things to aid the needs of other people of other nations. I respect the many generous offerings you make in your life and I am truly sorry to have to come to you with yet another plea for your help. Yet, in life there are the opportunities we take to make a difference from a distance, and then again there are times we find ourselves face to face with those in crisis, standing right before us begging for our mercy. As fate would have it, the children of the Stoikite Orphanage are those right in front of me. I cannot watch them suffering and possibly dying from frostbite, internal freezing without making every effort to do something to help them. The children I am writing to you about are in desperate need of our charity and outpouring of love. There is no one but us to help them.
The Stoikite Orphanage is in a small village upon Rhodope Mountain in Bulgaria, within ten minutes of Pamporovo a popular ski resort. The youngest child currently living there is eight and the oldest is 17 with a mix of boys and girls. Recent temperatures outside the orphanage reached minus 15 degrees Celsius and inside was as low as minus five degrees with ice forming on the inside of the windows. These children have one thin blanket apiece and have no heat source whatsoever—the once dilapidated heating system that used to help them combat the freezing temperatures is now irreparable. The children inside this institute are freezing cold.
Most of these children have been physically abused, sexually abused, abandoned by their families and face the challenges of moving through life with deep emotional scars, facing challenges we cannot even comprehend. They are wards to the institute by government ruling until they are the age of 16, and are considered “lucky” when allowed to stay until they turn 18 years old.
With all of the appeals you receive that you must filter through, it is natural for you to ask yourself, why should I be helping these kids when there are so many other causes I support? Shouldn’t the government be taking responsibility for buying them a heating system? Yes, by UK standards it easy for us to presume what the Bulgarians should do, but Bulgaria is an impoverished country and their government has stated that they simply haven’t the money for this purchase and installations. Children's charities already present in the country are starting to look into the matter, but admit that it could take years before they are able to take any action to offer assistance: most of these children cannot survive the wait for relief. I know that most of us would not let a dog live in such conditions, not even for a single hour.

I have personally made the commitment to raise the necessary funds for a new heating system in the orphanage. Others have joined me in this effort and we aim to raise awareness of the situation and collect approximately ?30,000 for a new heating system, added insulation, and to make repairs to the existing windows.
We are asking you to help us today by taking three actions:
1) Please forward this letter to your entire mailing list and endorse this action with a personal statement requesting your community’s attention and consideration.
2) If you work for a company or corporation ask your supervisor or the Human Resources Director to consider making a donation in behalf of your company. If you belong to a church or a spiritual community ask the Pastor, Reverend, Rabbi or Bishop to make a plea from the pulpit to support this effort.
3) Please donate whatever you can to the Campaign for the Heating Fund.
We are not a registered charity and cannot afford the time to become one if we are to make the greatest impact in saving lives; we are all just volunteers who felt the urgency of the situation and have committed to take action now. We can assure you that every penny you give or other items you choose to donate will be recorded and made a matter of public record on our website. The fund is being held in an escrow account by a well known law firm in Bulgaria, Borrisov Law (http://www.borissov-law.com) by Mr. Plamen Borissov. Paypal donations may also be transacted via our website. Nothing is spent on administration costs: this campaign is done solely on a voluntary basis.

For more information and donations please visit: www.orphanagestoikite-bg.org

F.V. After reading this post it has really taught me a BIG lesson, never comment unless you know the true facts. Without going into personal details of Amanda and Doug - I can assure you that monies earned are ploughed back into the orphanage by them and indeed it was only until recently that they have had any form of help from outsiders, i.e. Us. How dare you make comments like this without knowing what they really do for these kids and yet never tell people. they have been supplying fruit & veg and sometimes meat to the orphanage for years, can you imagine how much this must cost them - even by Bulgarian prices. They have been buying children coats and footwear when there have not been enough donations and recently spent approx. £1000 on bits to get the heating system working for a few hours because it was so cold that Amanda was fearful for the children - money that they know has gone down the drain. They also have 15 children of their own (mostly adopted) and grandchildren - We have 3 children and 3.5 grandchildren and I know how much this costs us to buy the occasional treats - what more can you ask or expect of these people!

I have been visiting and supporting an orphanage, twice a year for the past ten years, this supported by myself from my pension, all with the blessing of a well known charity. I also do and visit a Gypsy Sunday School, with gifts, again supplied by myself. Also I visit the Red Cross Centre in Dobrich with schooling aids. So I do believe I do my share, but have never boasted about until some of these postings.. There will be no need for an answer to above, I as sign off from this site for good. F.V.