Since its establishment, the foundation has invested in building the skills of the women and communities we work with in order to support their personal and professional development.
Our story began with a series of trainings for girls and young women from villages in Northwestern Bulgaria.
Development Program in Northwestern Bulgaria 2017
In September and October 2017 we held 8 training sessions in the village of Kovachitsa, Lom municipality and the village of Zlatia, Vulchedrum municipality.
- Personal realization and motivation
- Successful communication and conflict resolution
- Job search and successful interview
- Women in the 21st century
We also organized individual consultations on the following topics:
- CV writing
- Job search through websites
- Preparing for a successful interview
A total of 42 girls and women of Bulgarian and Roma origin participated in the courses that were led by trainers who came from the big cities in the country.
Here is what some of the participants in the Academy shared about the training “Personal Realization and Motivation”:
I learned that I need to be more motivated and confident!
I learned that I should not give up on my dreams, even though I am a woman!
Don’t give up and make your dreams come true!
Creative Residency “Women’s Rights” 2018
In September 2018 we organized a 4-day creative residency dedicated to women’s rights in Bulgaria. In the magical Rhodopes, far from civilization and the fast pace of technology, we gathered artists, photographers and writers together with community organizers. They worked in three areas: illustration, text and activism.
During the creative residency, which took place with the financial support of the Bulgarian Fund for Women, various topics were discussed, concerning the empowerment of women and the problems they most often encounter. We moved from global challenges such as economic empowerment, access to education, women’s inclusion in peace negotiations and the role of international organizations such as UN Women to the situation in Bulgaria, the patriarchal culture, underestimation of women in some professional fields, discrimination in the workplace for mothers with young children, domestic violence and social pressure on women to adhere to certain standards of lifestyle, beauty and personal development.
After the creative residency, the participants continue to work together and / or separately on projects affecting women’s empowerment.
Trainings for volunteers from the SHE in Bulgaria network
From 2018 until now, the foundation has organized over 10 one-day trainings for volunteers from the SHE in Bulgaria network and two national meetings. We believe that investing in building skills and knowledge for our volunteers is an investment in society as a whole and civic activism. The approach we use in the development of the SHE in Bulgaria network is “community organizing” and it is based on democratic values and the belief that ideas for change come from the people themselves and not from outside.
