Dear Reader,
Happy New Year and welcome to the first 2021 issue of the ABF newsletter—a space for news and stories from the ABF community.
We greeted 2021 with hope and optimism. For one, Lidl CEO Milena Dragijska-Dencheva, Manager of the Year for 2020, and longtime Bulgaria friend Ambassador Roderick Moore joined the ABF Board of Directors in January 2021.
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Ms. Milena Dragijska-Dencheva and Ambassador Roderick Moore
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Bringing the Stars Closer, Driving Legal Trouble Away
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We will also be seeing a number of exciting initiatives come to life in the next few months—a product of the 72 new partnerships we embarked on through the Next 10 Program.
Sofia’s first planetarium will open doors in May, revealing the night sky’s secrets to city residents and guests.
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The year is shaping up to be a great one for local tourism, with many new initiatives starting all along the Danube and Northwest Bulgaria. Some will even allow visitors to travel back in time.
Educators from Yane Sandanski Primary & Middle School in Plovdiv will be sharing their experience with online multidisciplinary teaching and developing a scalable model for other schools to use. The lessons will help students across Bulgaria learn more effectively.
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Through programs such as Schools of the Future and the 2020 Online Learning RFP, ABF encourages innovative, multidisciplinary approaches to education. Here: Students from Sofia's 18th School William Gladstone learn about hurricanes acquiring knowledge and skills in math, English, geography, and IT.
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Elected officials from small villages in Cherven Bryag Municipality are going beyond the call of duty and helping village residents get access to free legal counsel.
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Building Healthy Communities
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A group of young entrepreneurs asked themselves why employee benefits in Bulgaria focused solely on physical fitness and disregarded mental wellness. So, they came up with MindFit, a subscription service promoting good work-life balance. The six met at entrepreneurship program ABLE Activator.
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When hospitals across Bulgaria reached out for help in COVID-19 wards, members of the Association of Medical Students in Bulgaria were among those who answered the call. With support from Healing Together, a joint initiative of the US Embassy and ABF, the Association will better match hospitals and student medics, providing training and regular testing.
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A new exhibit at Muzeiko Children’s Science Center will introduce visitors to Apollo 11, the space mission that first landed humans on the Moon. Produced by The Smithsonian and supported by the US Embassy, the exhibit’s highlight is an exact replica of the space suit astronaut Neil Armstrong wore on his famous Moon walk.
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We will be rolling out new initiatives and requests for proposals in the coming months, so stay tuned by subscribing to this newsletter and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Here’s to a healthier, more hopeful 2021!
Stay safe,
America for Bulgaria Foundation
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