WWO Bulgaria Annual Report 2017 0 TABLE OF CONTENTS YEAR IN REVIEW ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2 PROGRAMS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 OPERATIONAL CONTEXT ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 TARGET POPULATION ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 INTERVENTIONS AND IMPACT ............................................................................................................................................ 8 PARTNERSHIPS .................................................................................................................................................................. 22 LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE ................................................................................... 28 CAPACITY BUILDING .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 MONITORING AND EVALUATION .......................................................................................................................................... 35 MANAGEMENT ...................................................................................................................................................................... 38 PLANS FOR 2018.................................................................................................................................................................... 39 ANNEX ................................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Dilyan ................................................................................................................................................................................ 41 Nilai ................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Ani ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 INNOVATION ......................................................................................................................................................................... 43 1 YEAR IN REVIEW 2017 was very rich in events both national and international. Worldwide Orphans Foundation in Bulgaria continued the tendency of focusing on working with vulnerable groups of children and their families, developing new and strengthening existing partnerships and capacity-building. The organization continued to support the most vulnerable children wherever they receive care and services – state-run institutions, Family Type Group Homes for children with disabilities, community-based service providers, remote rural areas and disadvantaged communities from ethnic minorities. Because of WWO Bulgaria’s successful partnerships with 26 partner organizations, our programs reached some of the most vulnerable children and their families in 15 different locations throughout the country in 2017. WWO Bulgaria served 1542 children and their families through our Toy Library Network partners and the “Library on the Road”, “Play for Achievement”, “Restart Play” and “Mission Play” projects. The Foundation expanded its work in seven new settings – three children’s units in Pirogov hospital, at the refugee integration center managed by Caritas Sofia, at the Community Cultural center in the village of Davidovo, and at the Roma communities in Sliven and Sofia. As a result, 7 new Toy Libraries were launched. WWO Bulgaria remained committed to supporting our network of partners in Bulgaria by providing capacity- building trainings for professionals to help them integrate the concept of play into their work with children and families. 2 Toy Library Network trainings took place in 2017 during which the participants were able to learn new methods of working with children using the Toy Library and Music in Motion programs as well as learning about WWO’s new program - Storytelling. WWO Bulgaria was very privileged to host the WWO Strategic Planning Meeting gathering the CEO, US program staff and Country Directors from Ethiopia, Haiti, Vietnam and Bulgaria. A visit was paid by the Board member Alex Mimis. Another Board member, Susan Neisloss and her Big Bite film crew visited Bulgaria in September to shoot three videos about the work in the hospital, the Roma community and the refugee center. In addition to working on capacity-building projects, WWO Bulgaria promoted the organization’s work and participated in two international forums – the International Step by Step Association’s Conference in Ghent, the Netherlands and at the WWO 20th gala evening. WWO Bulgaria will continue to make play and early childhood development an essential part of the social discourse in the country and is determined to reach out to more vulnerable children and families in 2018 as well as to establish itself as a leading organization in the field of early childhood development in Bulgaria. 2 PROGRAMS OPERATIONAL CONTEXT Growing by Mutual Partnerships When WWO began working in Bulgaria in 2009 most children without parental care were placed in residential care institutions. Motivated by the general lack of response to the socio-emotional and developmental needs of these children, WWO set out to build a comprehensive model to address the challenges they faced. WWO’s goal was to introduce the concept of play as a key developmental tool and to train staff and caregivers working in residential care institutions in how to use toys to help children achieve developmental milestones. Within the next four years, WWO established partnerships with 11 residential care institutions in Bulgaria where our programs provided children with socio-emotional support and addressed their developmental needs. The understanding of children’s needs and child care has developed significantly in recent years and these changed attitudes of professionals and society necessitate a shift in WWO’s focus in Bulgaria. In 2010, the Bulgarian government embarked on an ambitious plan to reform the protection system for children without parental care. The plan for reform was laid out in the National Strategy called “Vision for Deinstitutionalization of Children in Bulgaria 2010-2025”. The deinstitutionalization process involves replacing institutional child care with family care or community-based care in a family-like environment while taking integrated measures across social services and social assistance sectors to prevent child abandonment by supporting vulnerable families through a network of community-based service providers. WWO Bulgaria has followed the dynamics of the deinstitutionalization process and transitioned from partnerships with residential-care institutions to partnerships with community-based service providers, educational institutions and hospitals in the country. During a Strategic Planning meeting in 2015 with local partners WWO Bulgaria decided that the organization’s capacity-building role in the field of early childhood development is key to supporting our partners and following the needs of the deinstitutionalization process. In addition, an independent evaluation of WWO Bulgaria’s activities in 2016 showed that WWO Bulgaria’s programs are relevant to the needs of children at risk between the ages 0 and 7 and correspond to the policies on deinstitutionalization and early childhood development. The report recommended that WWO Bulgaria 3 partner with motivated organizations which have a proactive approach to partnerships and a shared vision for early childhood development. As a result, WWO Bulgaria has gradually phased out its partnerships with residential-care institutions and is focused on strengthening the capacity of our partners and becoming a leading organization in the field of early childhood development field in Bulgaria. To that end, WWO Bulgaria has established a network of WWO partners across the country with a shared understanding of the importance of play for early childhood development. Through capacity-building trainings and supervisions, WWO Bulgaria is making efforts to foster a community of like-minded professionals and practitioners from its partner organizations that are motivated and inspired to leverage the power of play in their work with children and families. WWO Bulgaria’s Toy Library network has grown from 19 partner organizations in 2017 to 26 partner organizations in the beginning of 2018 in 15 different locations throughout the country. Established non- governmental organizations and representatives of governmental organizations working with different target groups in the country have sought partnerships with WWO Bulgaria and expressed interest in using Element of Play® programs in their work. As a result, WWO Bulgaria has developed important partnerships with some leading organizations working to