People help refugees! For 20 years now, the Refugee Women’s Council in Bulgaria has been proof that humanity is a powerful force that can change the lives of others!
I came to Bulgaria as a refugee, and today I am a full member of Bulgarian society. This is not my second home, but my first, because I was not born. This is where I built my life. My children grew up here. My family lives here. Here, for 20 years, the Council of Refugee Women in Bulgaria has been providing help and support to refugee communities.
The shared experience, mine and other refugee women’s, laid the foundations of the organization. We would not have succeeded on our own if it were not for the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Bulgaria, the Refugee and Migrant Service of the BRC and other organizations that have supported us over the years, people who poured into our structure with their dedication and heart. We have built the stable structure we are today thanks to our common cause – to help! The woman is the bearer of life, the guardian of the family hearth and a driving force for change. I see how regardless of different cultures, traditions and languages, refugee women show a strong determination and desire to integrate into a host society. They need empowerment because their role is changing and they are no longer just housewives, mothers, wives, but are responsible for themselves, their children and their family. They want to learn and practice different professions, giving them the freedom to be independent.
Women are the heroes of our time. Yes, sometimes they need help, seek comfort and reach out for help. Not because they are weak or helpless, but because they are human. People with hearts who at certain times encounter the cruelty of life. But the belief that this too will pass and one day everything experienced will be for good, strengthens us. For 20 years now, our heart has been beating in unison with thousands of other hearts and helping us to overcome adversity and ensure a better today and a more peaceful tomorrow for the refugees in Bulgaria.
