On 19 August, For Our Children foundation hosted a visit of representatives of the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) at the Early Childhood Development Complex in Sofia.

The visit was held as in relation to our cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Bulgaria and H.E. Mrs. Aylin Sekizkök, thanks to whom we managed to renovate the courtyard and basement of the complex.

Mrs. Mariana Taseva, Deputy Executive Director of “For Our Children” Foundation, welcomed Dr. Mahmut Çevik, Deputy Chairman of TIKA, Mr. Erman Topçu, Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, Mrs. Esin Topçu, Counselor at the Embassy, Ms. Filiz Shahinji, Head of Department at TIKA, Mr. Mustafa Atta, Civil Engineer, Mr. Tevfik Vardar, Engineering Coordinator at TIKA,  and presented the activities of the complex, the work of the Foundation in general, current projects and specific results we are achieving.

Mrs. Mariana Taseva expressed her appreciation for the achievements and stressed the importance of the partnership with the Turkish Agency, in the context of expanding the support we provide to the most vulnerable children. “We are happy when we join forces with partners with whom we look in the same direction and with whom we implement projects for the development and unleashing of the potential of each child. In the face of TIKA and the Turkish Embassy in Bulgaria, we have met just such partners,” said Mrs. Taseva.

Dr. Mahmut Çevik thanked for the opportunity to develop such a good cooperation and emphasized on the mission of TIKA, which overlaps with the main mission of the foundation – support for all children, especially those who face difficulties in their early years. The Vice President of the Turkish Agency said that she was proud of their biggest social project in Bulgaria in the Early Childhood Development Complex in Sofia.

Deputy Ambassador Erman Topçu said that the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey attached great importance to our joint work and it was a great pleasure for them to be guests in the complex.

As a result of TIKA’s grant investment of 285 000 BGN, we have renovated the existing playgrounf equipment in the yard and installed new facilities, enabling children to play and develop various physical skills. We have also laid new flooring to prevent the risk of injury. We equipped the courtyard with park furniture designed for parents and children to have a place for rest, and we managed to plant new greeneryin the courtyard, enabling the children to play in a natural environment.

In the basement, we created welcoming spaces where we store various material donations until they are sent to children and families in need. We have also created three new rooms for workshops, as well as a library and a reading area, which is of great importance for the development of all of the Foundation’s professionals. We have given the interior of the building a new bright look, including improvements to the main entrance and refurbishment of the terrace where we hold many meetings.

We are grateful for the support we have received to create a safe and welcoming place for children to play, learn and develop and for their families to feel supported!