Dr.Jane reports from Bulgaria
So many things to write about. I was in Vrastsa this morning, Friday, April 3...a small town about 90 miles from Sofia. The orphanage doctor was sweet and smart; her name is Dr. Ilieva. She wore a white smock over her clothes that had green trim. She looked professional and medical, but somehow very nice and warm, and clearly, she took pride in her appearance. The staff was similarly dressed and this made a good impression on me.
All the staff is devoted to the children; they appeared warm and were handling the children gently. The orphanage has 110 children of whom 20% at least are multiply handicapped....very involved genetic syndromes, microcephaly, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, and more, and I fear that these children are not really getting the services they need for their conditions.
The toys are old and not appropriate for the children, but the playrooms were chosen wisely in terms of the architecture. They are large, end rooms on each floor with windows all across and on the ends in some spaces, so the light is spectacular and the view of the snow-covered mountains breathtaking....no child would ever have seasonal affective disorder in those rooms, but they are poorly equipped, and the toys are mostly plush toys that have little developmental value and are difficult to keep clean.
I know from so many visits to orphanages and from reports of Orphan Rangers all over the world that while the toys are kept clean and neat, they are not used to engage the children in interactive play.
If the staff were trained in the underpinnings of early childhood development, there would be a different approach to play and relational issues....this one piece of training could be integrated into the Toy Play Program. Just teaching play can change everything about someone's concepts about the psyche of the child.
I am reminded about how much work we need to do before we can install a Toy Library. There would have to be training on the use of each toy for each age...and we would want to involve the Orphan Rangers, the Babas, and the staff, with the input and approval of the orphanage director.
After the training, we could roll out the daily use of the toys from the Toy Library. Our toys are easily cleaned because they have been chosen with this in mind. Plush toys cannot be properly cleaned...they have to go in the washing machine and that is labor intensive.
The director asked me for my impressions of her orphanage, and I told her that I was very taken with the loving environment. The town has very high unemployment and there is limited money in her budget and I think that what she has done is great. There are local school children who come into the orphanage and there are other groups who visit. The colors of the mats and rugs are all primary colors and the children have very lovely children's bed sheets. The staff watch the children nap and are gentle with them when they cry....there is respect in this place as in many orphanages that I have visited in Bulgaria.
Each of the five Babas I met today had about 35 years of experience in childcare....pre-school and kindergarten teachers. One was a midwife for 37 years. They are all in the sixties, and nicely dressed with make-up and scarves...modern ladies who are very articulate about their personal lives i.e. their children and their grandchildren, and their work in the orphanage. They all are very committed and grateful for the job as Baba.
I enjoyed meeting them very much and I told them a bit about myself and WWO and I thanked them for working with the children.
I then finished with a quick remark about how their work was so valued by me, WWO, and all people who love children. I told them that their work would enable these children to be hopeful and to dream about their futures so that they could go to school, get an education and be good citizens in their country...perhaps leaders in the world....and they all agreed that this is their hope as well. They became as emotional as I did when I spoke about this hope. One Baba told a story about an orphan who she knew who was currently studying at the university.
At the end of the visit, Vladmir, the translator who accompanied me, and I sat with Dr. Ilieva again and she asked for suggestions about what she might do to improve her orphanage. I again stressed that this was only our first meeting and that other people from WWO will come and get to know her and learn more from her about the needs of the children and that we would work together to see what will be our plan for the future.
I praised her work at that point. I wanted to talk about possibilities, but I am learning that my enthusiasm and vision must be modulated carefully so that people don’t expect us to change everything is a flash. This is painful for me....to see what could be and to not make it happen swiftly is very hard and makes me sad now because of the uncertainty of money.
Dr.Ilieva showed me a wedding photo album, which she called a “history of the orphanage.” There were photos of birthday parties and outings. The children were all so cute and happy in the photos....Dr. Ilieva was very proud of this album....I love the personal dedication that this album reflected.
The orphanage in Vratsa is a diamond in the rough, I think...very sweet and tender and also at the same time, very much in need of our assistance.
I see the intense, tender eyes of the Babas right now as I sit at my desk in the hotel room...some very blue, bright, and so youthful....retired women who could be at home, but who passionately love children and answer the call to service. There was a moment when the Baba who was a midwife mentioned that her child already recognized her and called her name out and it was only the second day of the program...she was so thrilled by this that I began to well-up.
The papers for the foundation/branch/NGO in Bulgaria are all signed as of this morning. It will now take two months or so for the registration of WWO.
We are not called WWO in Bulgaria because there is no word for orphans that is respectful. Instead, the Bulgarians say, “child at risk,” or “vulnerable child,” or “child living without parents.” This reminds me of saying Native American, rather than Indian...or Roma instead of Gypsy. In this case, it was not orphans who were able to advocate for themselves so it was social welfare policy organizations that created this change in the designation. So we are Worldwide Foundation for Vulnerable Children. I am glad to be culturally sensitive for our programs abroad. This is part of the WWO brand.
Monday, Kris (WWO Director of Finance and Administration) and Mark (WWO Director of Programs) and I are all off to yet another new Baba program in Veliko Tarnovo which is three hours outside of Sofia. I head home on Tuesday early morning, my head and heart filled with the images of all the children I saw and all the caring adults I met.
Dr. Jane
Heidi Klum, Seal, Anderson Cooper at WWO Gala 2010
WWO Gala 2010 scheduled for November 1.
WWO Canada Benefit Gold Classic
On September 22nd, play golf on the Glen Abbey Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus...
