News
Setting up a model for the closure of institutions for babies’ is a joint venture of Equilibrium and Hope and Homes for Children, UK (experts in de-institutionalization in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa).
Bulgaria has reduced the number of children in residential care but the total number of children without permanent parents has not changed much in recent years. Institutions for children under the age of five remain under the management and administration of the Ministry of Health. The… Continue reading
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The third contest was dedicated to the National Day of the Leaders (in the sense of nationbuilding) that fall on 1st November.
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The main goal of the organizers from Ruse’s from Art Studio Palitra was to honour the work of the leaders and just like them the children to create their own little world in which more or less to contribute the culture of our country.
Children aged 4 to 18 years from all over Bulgaria sent a total of… Continue reading
On 31st October, 2009 Equilibrium’s youth club introduced Halloween to the multiethnic child population of the village of Drjanovets.
With adult support from the secretary of the community hall, the mayoress and mum Galya, Annie, Pipi organised the scariest party ever seen this side of Transylvania. Competing for best costume, witches, spider queen, monsters and devils paraded on a stage decorated with hanging skeletons and black balloons. The 20 young participants were treated to cold punch with eyes floating on… Continue reading
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On Friday, 30th October, 2009, the staff at the complex donned ghoulish costumes and entertained our young clients in a Halloween celebration.
![[2]apples](http://eq-bg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2apples.jpg)
The event was compered by Terrible AnTionetta (Toni – our art therapist) a cheerful witch. She greeted the special guests from Romania, Count Dracula (David) and his delectable but utterly demonic companion, Evil Eleonora (Eli) who were on a special mission. They needed to select a number of nasty creatures for the count’s exotic collection from among the… Continue reading
The EQ team hosted a training event that extended over a period of two and a half days (22nd – 24th October 2009) and was presented by two representatives of the British organization People First.
Mike Le-Surf is a highly experienced trainer in the field of self-advocacy for those with disabilities. His colleague, James Hamilton, is, in fact, disabled: he has Down’s Syndrome. James is an articulate self-advocate and his account of how close family, friends and supporters cooperate to… Continue reading
On Friday, 9th October, 2009 Equilibrium and the Open Society Club hosted an event in the public reception area of Ruse’s theatre complex.
They were joined in the venture by their valued media partner, Arena Media, for a very important reason (please read on).
Before the EQ team made their various presentations, the audience was addressed by his Excellency, Geoffrey Keating, Ireland’s ambassador to Bulgaria whose informal visit to the social services complex during 2008 was hosted by EQ. He… Continue reading
Visit by Stuart Peters, British Embassy
On 5th October, 2009, we hosted an informal visit to the social services complex by a team from the British embassy in Sofia headed by Stuart Peters, head of the Embassy’s Strategic Policy Team. The following day, Stuart and his colleagues visited the small group home in the company of representatives of the municipal authority.
Visit by Nadya Shabani, chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection
On Tuesday 13th October, 2009, the new… Continue reading
The Social Services Complex was officially opened on 3rd October, 2005.
We celebrated its 4th birthday a day early combining the event with the birthday celebrations of two VIPS – one of our boys from the small group home (age 13) and Venci, an EQ board member (age undisclosed).
The younger birthday boy was joined by his colleagues from the Pink House, young clients of the complex and assorted offspring of our personnel in fun, games and races organized by… Continue reading
As from the beginning of September, 2009 a sensory garden has been the most prominent outdoor feature at the family-type home known locally as the Pink House.
We’ve always wanted the little yard to be something more than an enclosed and grassed area with a slide and a swing. For the purpose we needed motivation, creativity and inspiration, complete devotion to the idea, friends with big hearts and skilful, tireless hands. It was particularly wonderful that the oldest resident –… Continue reading
The most exciting event during this summer for 15 young clients of the complex (ages ranging from 8 to 18) was the adventure camp which we organized for them near the city of Teteven lasting from 4th until 7th September 2009.
Some of the youngsters had special educational needs and for most of the group this was the first time they had to be apart from their families.
We selected the destination and the route traveled with one basic idea… Continue reading