Optimism for Bulgaria

Instead of shrugging off problems or becoming daunted by their scale, our partners roll up their sleeves and work on solutions. Although they don’t always get the recognition they deserve, they plow on — day in, day out — to make their communities better, more prosperous places for all.

Since 2005, Spas has been seeking the truth as a Varna-based correspondent for Bulgarian newspapers Dnevnik and Capital, and for the past five years he has also dedicated time to his work for Za istinata (“For the Truth”), an online platform for investigative regional journalism supported by the America for Bulgaria Foundation.

Over three decades, Paul and Judy have worked with every vulnerable group there is in the country: minorities, the poor, the sick, the unwanted.

Although he is better known for his own accomplishments as cofounder of Bulgaria’s most successful tech company, Telerik, Vassil Terziev is prouder of what came after the company’s sale, the largest in the country’s history, in 2014 to US company Progress Software. He and the other Telerik founders took on the task of educating the next generation of programmers and tech entrepreneurs through the Telerik Academy Foundation and of fueling the success of innovative businesses through startup incubator Campus X.

Slowly but steadily communities along the Danube are waking up to new possibilities, and Dunav Ultra and the tireless Boris deserve at least some of the credit for that.

Borislav uses his rich experience to help those who are just starting out in business as well. As a volunteer lecturer teaching sales and marketing at Business Academy for Starting Entrepreneurs (BASE), the America for Bulgaria Foundation’s free entrepreneurship training program, not only does he share practical tips for customer outreach and goal setting, but he also helps aspiring entrepreneurs gain confidence in their abilities.

Although young, Telerik Academy School graduates have well-paying jobs, with every third earning well above the Sofia average, according to a 2020 Global Metrics report.

Dr. Dinko Mladenov established the Young Medics for Bulgaria Foundation in August 2020 to stem the exodus of young medical professionals from the country. To date, the foundation has approved support worth nearly 247,000 levs for 151 medical students and recent graduates from 31 towns working in 68 healthcare facilities nationwide.

How did a quintessentially American sport like spelling gain such a following in Bulgaria, particularly when much better funded games, such as American football and baseball, have fared so poorly?