My name is Elena Petkova.
I did not start this work as a career choice. I started it because of one person – my brother.
He taught me to see the world from the perspective of those who are more vulnerable. To feel injustice not as an abstract concept, but as something real, happening here and now – to people who often have no voice. And perhaps this is why I have always chosen to stand on their side.
Later on, together with Galya, we founded Equilibrium. It was not accidental. We needed this – to turn the values we deeply believe in into real work and real change. Since 2004, this has remained our path.
Today, this is also my profession.
Together with our team, we manage social services for children and families at risk, and support young people with severe disabilities. I strongly believe in child participation and in every child’s right to be heard, understood, and involved in decisions that affect their lives.
I am also actively involved in the process of deinstitutionalisation in Bulgaria, including the closure of infant institutions. For me, this is not just a reform, but a matter of dignity and humanity.
Over the years, my work has changed me. I have become more confident, more patient, more resilient. But one thing has not changed – the reason why I am here.
In 2022, my brother was killed. It is a loss I am still learning to live with.
And despite that – or perhaps because of it – I continue.
Because I believe that care, justice, and humanity are not a given. They are a choice. And every day, we have the chance to make it.