Silvia takes her first steps towards a new life
She can already walk and is stepping on the tiles at the front of door of her family’s little house. All the others – her mother, her grandmother and her brothers – are looking on, barely breathing, for fear she might tumble. They start cheering her on and encouraging her to take another and yet another step. These are the first independent steps…, Everything began for Silvia when she was two years old , The team from Burgas visited Silvia’s family when she was two years old. Their initial job was to make sure that her brothers were enrolled in the education system (school and kindergarten). Then I noticed that Silvie’s mother pushed her around in a pram. The girl looked floppy, she could not sit upright and she had to be propped. There was no way…, Always standing by the family , It was at that point in time that the team took over and started informing the mother about the existing health and education services, and the possibility and need for a specialized medical examination of her daughter to check whether there were any developmental issues. We managed to gain Zyumbyula’s trust with a lot of persistence, patience,…, Bold steps , The mother learned to trust the team as they guided her through the difficult process of providing the initial support, therapy and rehabilitation for Silvia at St. Stiliyan Integrated Service Centre for Children with Disabilities in Burgas. In order to receive these services, the young girl needed to stay at the Centre, while the team and…, Timely prevention , Silvie’s case is a prime example of how a child lagging behind in her development was able to reach the protection and social services system years earlier and receive timely treatment. The outcome for Silvie’s life may have been very different if they had waited for the system to respond. Had it not been for the project team, we would have…, About the EU Child Guarantee , With the main aim of reducing child poverty and social exclusion for all children across the European Union, the European Commission, in partnership with UNICEF, is implementing a pilot-program "Phase III: Testing the Child Guarantee" in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Spain. Bulgaria was given the opportunity to pilot…
Europe and Central Asia
