Bulgarian Child, Inc.
Love and
Loaves to Those in Need
7522 Campbell Rd. - St. 113 - 172 - Dallas, TX
June 2003 Trip
Sturmen
We visited Sturmen on the evening of Tuesday,
June 3, 2003 in the company of Agnes Lam, the Peace Corps
volunteer in Byala. It was obvious to us right away that
she had a great relationship with these kids and we were quite
impressed.
Sturmen is way out at the end of a road to
nowhere but it is a beautiful drive along the side of a river.
The building was built in 1954 as a village school but is now
used as an orphanage.
This home houses 68 kids from grades 1 thru
grade 12.
We were immediately impressed with the fact that they had a
quite large vegetable garden planted in the front yard of the
orphanage and were told that the kids were mostly responsible
for the upkeep.
It was nicely kept and seemed to be on the way toward
producing some much needed fresh food. We were told that
there are 3 decares under cultivation producing tomatoes,
beans, onions and potatoes to name a few items.
Other outdoor facilities were spartan at best.
The see-saws were really the only equipment and the soccer
goal was the only other evidence of any outside activity.
Indoors we found very crowded conditions
with narrow bedrooms crammed with beds that were rickety and
had mattresses and sheets on them that should have been
replaced long ago.
Wall decorations consisted of spray painted patterns most
likely done by the occupants of the rooms.
The shower room ceiling plaster had just fallen down (probably
from the humidity of the room) and is in need of some repair.
The rest of the room itself could use some work as well.
There is only a small (120 ltr) boiler to heat hot water for
this shower facility which is for 68 kids. There is a
significant need for a larger (500 ltr) boiler.
Also, there are NO indoor toilets that work because the
piping to the septic system is clogged (and has been for some
time).
What personal storage there is consists of these cabinets with
doors that are falling off. Looking inside these
cabinets shows little in the way of personal items.
Study facilities consisted of these desks placed in the
hallway outside of the bedrooms. Schooling is done at
the local town school in Byala but transportation is by city
bus for which the school must pay and there are two shifts at
the school necessitating four trips a day.
The cafeteria is really bare with a concrete floor and chairs
and tables that have been around for a very long time.
In honor of our visit we were treated to
a program of dance and song, created totally by the
kids. It was quite extensive and creative.
We got a great group picture at the end
of the program that despite the glaring sun gives a good
picture of many of these kids.
This home is in need of lots of supplies as
well as some significant remodeling but there is a good spirit
here and obvious caring on the part of the Director whom we
found most personable.
Needs
Shoes - socks - clothing of all sizes and
varieties are really in need. Shoes
especially are needed both for summer and winter.
School supplies are a must. Notebooks,
pencils, pens - absolutely everything is needed here.
Sheets
2 small washing machines are needed to supplement
the one older machine that is very inefficient.
They also have no dryer at all.
Repairs and remodeling to the shower rooms
Septic system plumbing repair to get the indoor
toilet facilities working. This may indeed be a
significant project due to the grade of the land.
Soap, shampoo, washing powder
5-6 new radiators are needed to replace older or
broken ones.
Some new beds are also needed
Playground equipment is essentially non-existent
There really isn't anything that this home doesn't need in
terms of supplies except that they are getting food
supplements from the Russe Kiwanis Club every month.
