On the eve of May 24 – the Bulgarian National Day of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture, Caritas Sofia has received a EUR 10,000 subsidy for an educational initiative

The amount is provided by the main shareholder of Vienna Insurance Group – Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein

The "Ready for School" Center of Caritas Sofia, which received funding of EUR 10,000, is located in the "Faculteta" district of Sofia (Bulgaria) and provides long-term complex social and educational support to over 80 children of preschool and school age and their parents.
A team of pedagogues, educators and psychologists, including volunteers, helps the children in basic social skills adoption, Bulgarian language knowledge and daily preparation of the school lessons. The aim is integration into the education system and prevention of early school leaving. In the long term, these steps create better career prospects and a more successful future for the children who participate in the program.
On behalf of Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, a cheque for the financial grant was presented by representatives of the insurance companies of Vienna Insurance Group in Bulgaria, Bulstrad and Bulstrad Life, who stated that the existence of this initiative helps children to improve their school performance, as well as to upgrade their knowledge and become more confident to pursue higher education.
On behalf of Caritas Sofia, the grant was accepted by Tsvetomir Dоumanov, Executive Director of the non-governmental organization, who said: "With the grant received, we will be able to continue to support the local community, be useful to the children and their families, and continue working together with them for a better future.”
Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein has been a partner of Caritas Austria for many years. Each year, Caritas Austria launches a children's campaign in favour of kids in Eastern and Southern European countries. Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein supports this campaign in order to raise awareness for the needs of children living in poverty. In addition, Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein provides financial support to specific regional projects each year. After promoting regional projects in Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Albania and the Republic of Moldova, Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein also supports the Bulgarian project ‘Ready for School Community Support Center in Faculteta, Sofia’.