Today we will tell you the story of Valya and Dido from Sliven and their four children – three in school age and one in preschool. Due to lack of work and permanent housing, the family lives for rent in a Plovdiv village, where they earn their living by logging. Dido’s parents also live with them. They help raise the four children while Valya and Dido work in the local forestry.

When Valya becomes pregnant unplanned, the family faces the fear of losing a steady income and is convinced that they do not want the child because they cannot take care of it. The other children are now big and independent, studying and helping in the household, and Valya works on an equal footing with the men in logging. That is why the couple decided to leave the child for adoption at birth, due to lack of support and understanding from Dido’s parents.

Valya and her family crossed paths when we received a signal from Dr. Diana Argirova, head of the Neonatology Department at the Plovdiv University Hospital, about the mother’s intention to abandon her newborn. As with any such signal, our response and intervention is within a few hours. A specialist from our team met with Valya at the hospital to find out the reasons for the decision and to offer adequate support measures. Valya stayed in the hospital longer due to a complication after the birth, but during all this time the baby remained close to her. It does not have a name, but Valya breastfeeds it and takes care of the little girl who has severe jaundice.

It is clear from the conversation that Valya is very attached to her child. She realizes that the lack of support from her husband’s parents is the main reason for her decision. The mother is worried because when caring for the newborn, there will be no income from her daily wage, which will shake the financial stability of the family. Our expert also had a conversation with the girl’s father. She told him that Valya had been taking care of the baby for a week, breastfeeding him and was very attached to him. Dido quickly realizes that the baby needs to stay with them. The next step was a telephone conversation between the man and relatives, who said they would support the couple and not leave the girl unattended.

In order for Valya and her family to have peace of mind, the For Our Children Foundation provided them with a package for a newborn with everything necessary for the child, who already has the wonderful name Dima – named after his father, who supported his wife. The family is also included in our “Emergency Family Support” program, which provides them with material support in the form of basic food products. In this way, we at the Foundation gave Valya and Dido time and opportunity to reconsider their priorities, as well as everyone in the family to actively help the mother to recover and take care of the home and household.

Our support for the family does not end with the provision of the listed help. Due to their more remote place of residence, our expert connected them with a social service at the place of residence. Thus, Dima will grow up in a safe and cohesive family environment, supported by specialists who will help parents to be more confident in caring for their five children.

Valya and Dido and their children, as well as many others like them, will be the focus of our support in the Early Childhood Development Complex, which we dream to open in Plovdiv.

Help us to realize it by sending an SMS with the text DMS DETSTVO to number 17 777 or visit https://detebg.org/kompleks-za-ranno-detsko-razvitie/