In the Headlines

The America for Bulgaria Foundation marked its fifteenth anniversary with a community forum celebrating the power of collaboration — the power of &. Nearly 600 grantees from various fields, partners, friends, staff, and members of the ABF Board attended the event titled “& the Story Continues” at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia on September 29, 2023.

Between September 30 and October 8, visitors to the National Palace of Culture in Sofia will be able to view the interactive exhibition The Story of & — an immersive digital experience that brings to life the place where dreams and reality meet.

An autonomous weeding robot, an application for identifying fake images online, a bioprinter for ethically produced tissues for laboratory research, and a device for lower limb rehabilitation are among the ten approved projects in the third edition of the Science with a Future request for proposals of the America for Bulgaria Foundation in 2023.

The program will provide nine-month paid digital marketing placements to 13 recent university graduates or requalifying professionals. During the fellowship, participants will gain professional experience at an NGO partner of the Foundation. The fellows will assist in the development and implementation of digital marketing strategies for key representatives of civil society in Bulgaria.

Beyond the obvious understanding of health as a supreme value, investing in healthcare has a direct impact on economic growth and private sector development—and those are priority areas within the scope of ABF’s mission.

Healthcare is always highlighted as a fundamental value, but, regrettably, there are some shortfalls in how this fundamental value is supported, both at the personal and the institutional level. These shortfalls include inadequate prevention, uneven access to primary healthcare and quality medical services, insufficient opportunities for innovative medical training and specialization for medical practitioners, and poor retention of medical doctors and nurses in Bulgaria. The projects we support aim to address these problem areas.

Nancy Schiller: Six years after we completed the Little Heroes project, it is nothing short of astounding what a difference the transformed hospital conditions make for young patients’ healing and caregivers’ well-being. Staff morale and motivation have also improved immensely. The Pirogov experience affirmed that it is worth revisiting ABF’s role in this high-impact field.

I witnessed the economy change from controlled to one where you have thriving business sectors, a growing technological sector… Some truly profound changes have taken place over the past 30 years.

Over nine months, fellows will have the opportunity to work at two Bulgarian media organizations, gaining professional experience and contacts and engaging in an exchange of ideas.