The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Social Assistance Agency (SAA) have made 19 of a planned 30 short films for the national "Foster Me" campaign. The videos tell the stories of foster parents from across Bulgaria and are part of a series of meetings to raise awareness about foster care. The campaign began on 6 April and has so far reached 21 of the 33 towns where BTA has its own regional press clubs.
At the BTA regional press clubs, SAA experts — psychologists and social workers — join local officials and representatives of non-profit groups. They talk about the benefits of foster parenting, the stigma many people still attach to it, and the main hurdles to building foster care into a lasting social service.
The first 19 short films let the public hear directly from foster parents around the country. They talk about what drove them to foster, the responsibility and weight of the role, and the satisfaction of helping a child grow up. Some took on this role more than 18 years ago. Their stories, and the reasons foster care became their life's calling, can be seen on BTA's special "Foster Me" page and in the SAA series "The Faces of Foster Care".
So far, the meetings and talks have taken place in these towns:
- Sofia
- Svishtov
- Blagoevgrad
- Kyustendil
- Pernik
- Montana
- Ruse
- Shumen
- Veliko Tarnovo
- Samokov
- Vidin
- Petrich
- Troyan
- Burgas
- Gabrovo
- Gotse Delchev
- Plovdiv
- Varna
- Pleven
- Stara Zagora
In September, meetings are planned in Yambol, Haskovo, Targovishte and Kazanlak. Talks are also expected at BTA's regional press clubs in Sliven, Razgrad, Silistra, Smolyan, Pazardzhik, Kardzhali, Dobrich, Vratsa and Lovech.
Foster care gives children who cannot live with their birth family or relatives a safe, caring home. Getting the word out about it matters, because the more social workers, council staff and foster parents understand it, the better the service can grow.
All the talks and material made for the national "Foster Me" campaign are part of an SAA project to promote foster care, BG05SFPR002-2.006, "Building the capacity of Social Assistance Agency staff to help modernize social protection systems" — Component 1. The project is funded under the Human Resources Development Programme and co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus.
The project covers a wide range of work. This includes training, support and supervision for foster parents and specialists, as well as checks on the quality of foster care. It also runs national awareness campaigns. The goal is to give children a stable environment to grow up in and make Bulgaria's social protection system work better.
You can watch all the foster parents' stories made as part of the SAA and BTA campaign here: