SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION was founded as non-profit organization with the decision 348
of the Sofia Municipal Council to work for the sustainable development of the capital.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF SOFIA CITIZENS
On September 18, 2023, the public discussion "The Next Generation of Sofia Citizens" was held at the American Center of Sofia Library, organized by Sofia Development Association, with the participation of representatives of various refugee communities, Sofia Municipality, the UNHCR, the Bulgarian Red Cross, NGOs and students from Sofia.
Our guests and speakers were Valentina Solodkaya, who fled the war in Ukraine to Sofia; Rodi Namo, who was also forced to leave his home in Syria because of the war in his homeland; Fay Eshkevari from Iran, a journalist and women's rights advocate; Eric David Holsey from the USA, who found his way to Bulgaria because of his love of history and has been talking about our country's past on his blog for almost ten years. Special guests were also the students from the National School of Finance and Economics in Sofia, who in June this year won a hackathon organized by Sofia Development Association and dedicated to the topic of inclusion and integration of refugees. Photographs taken by Alexander Aleksov from the same high school during their school campaign were exhibited in the library.
Discussion moderator Yuriy Valkovski prompted our guests to reflect on the questions what does it mean to be a Sofiyaner? Is it easy to love Sofia? Favourite and less favorite spots in the city? Of course, the city looks different in the eyes and hearts of each of the "new" Sofiyaners. For Fay Eshkeveri, the urban environment is both welcoming, but also in certain spaces limiting. Sofia's parks and the opportunity to interact with different people, have access to arts, sports and entertainment within walking distance is of utmost importance to Eric. Music and dance make Rodi Namo smile and are one of his ways of making new friends. The feeling of freedom and safety, of being able to go out on the street without fear, and the ease with which children make new friendships, make Valentina Solodka's life meaningful today.
There are challenges in the path of the new residents, it was made clear by Boris Cheshirkov (UNHCR). Challenges both in terms of the development of the city and the integration of refugees. Nevertheless, there is a growing network of people and organizations that partner to welcome and support refugees. Specifically, Sofia Municipality has created many new forms of support and opportunities for integration, one of which is the Bureau for Information and Services for Third Country Nationals.
In the end, the participants in the discussion united around the idea of Sofia as an "open city", as Malina Edreva, chairperson of the Standing Committee on Education, Culture, Science and Cultural Diversity at the Sofia Municipal Council, aptly put it. A city in which we must continue to create conditions and opportunities for dialogue and exchange between different communities and different cultures, without fear and without prejudice.
The discussion "The Next Generation of Sofia Citizens" takes place in the framework of the project "Support for the Development of Integration Policies and Services for Refugees in Sofia," funded by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Bulgaria. We will have more discussions and meetings with people who have chosen Sofia and Bulgaria to be their home. To get involved, follow our posts on this website, on the SofiaLab website, and become part of the Viber group through which we share news and event invitations.
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.
CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS IN POMORIE DISCUSS CURRENT TRENDS IN REFUGEE LAW
SDA’s partner, the Foundation for Access to Rights (FAR) celebrated its 10th anniversary with a 2-day conference in Pomorie on September 12 and 13, 2023. The conference brought together experts and practitioners on refugee and migration law to discuss current trends and ongoing problems for asylum seekers on the territory of Bulgaria. Various issues such as access to territory, asylum procedures, services to unaccompanied minors and other were deliberated by the conference participants. A representative of SDA also took part in the event, as many of the questions at hand are relevant to the work of the Bureau for Information and Services to third country nationals, coordinated by SDA in cooperation with local NGOs, including FAR.
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES SEPTEMBER 2023 IN THE BUREAU FOR INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOR THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
During the month of August more than 150 people from different countries such as Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Guinea and Palestine have found help and support at the Bureau for Information and Services for Third Country Nationals by taking advantage of the services provided there. For the second consecutive month, the most requested service by visitors to the office was assistance with protection procedures, followed by legal, financial, and humanitarian assistance.
The official website of the Bureau offers a monthly program that describes the different activities by day and time. The content of this program is in several languages: Bulgarian, English, French, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, and Persian.
You can find the program for September in Bulgarian HERE
You can find the program for September in Ukrainian HERE
You can find the program for September in English HERE
You can find the program for September in French HERE
You can find the program for September in Russian HERE
You can find the program for September in Arabic HERE
You can find the program for September in Farsi HERE
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.
“THE BUREAU FOR INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOR THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS” IS NOW ON VIBER!
The "Bureau for Information and Services for Third Country Nationals" now has its own channel on the communication platform "Viber". The channel will share information on the various activities and services offered by the Bureau, as well as on upcoming and past events related to the integration of refugees and migrants.
Join the channel so you can quickly and easily receive any information related to the activities of the Bureau by scanning the QR code or simply following the link.
The link to join the channel on Viber:
https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQAYP2ZbsHQbr1FT39hmriZ652oXh46Dm8SRwfGuFfGUAPvYkx1ILAXnoLs17zrC&lang=en
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES AUGUST 2023 IN THE BUREAU FOR INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOR THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
During the month of July more than 110 people from different countries such as Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Albania have found help and support at the Bureau for Information and Services for Foreign Nationals, taking advantage of the services provided there. The most requested service for the month was assistance with protection procedures, followed by humanitarian, legal, and financial assistance.
The official website of the bureau offers a monthly program that describes the different activities by day and time. The content of this program is in several languages: Bulgarian, English, French, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, and Persian.
You can find the program for August in Bulgarian HERE
You can find the program for August in Ukrainian HERE
You can find the program for August in English HERE
You can find the program for August in French HERE
You can find the program for August in Russian HERE
You can find the program for August in Arabic HERE
You can find the program for August in Farsi HERE
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES JULY 2023 IN THE BUREAU FOR INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOR THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
On 20 June, we celebrated World Refugee Day in an expression of empathy and solidarity with the plight of millions of people forced to flee their homelands due to conflict and persecution. The day was celebrated with various events in Sofia, with the National Palace of Culture lit up in blue to honour the strength and courage of people seeking peace and a normal life. Sofia Development Association, for its part, organized the Hackathon "Beyond Borders: breaking stereotypes, building bridges", funded by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency under the project "Support for the development of integration policies and services for refugees in Sofia" in which 4 teams participated and presented their projects to a jury. Their challenge was to create an online campaign that opposes the use of discriminatory language and hostile attitudes towards refugees and migrants.
In parallel with the celebration of Refugee Day, the Bureau of Information and Services for Foreign Nationals continued to provide assistance to those in need through a number of positive events. During the month of June, over 120 people benefited from the services provided at the Bureau. „Legal advice“ remained one of the top services requested, along with „accompaniment to various institutions“ and applications for „financial assistance“. A large number of visitors also benefited from humanitarian assistance.
The official website of the bureau offers a monthly programme which describes the different activities by day and time. The content of this programme is in several languages: Bulgarian, English, French, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic and Persian.
You can find the program for June in Bulgarian HERE.
You can find the program for June in Ukrainian HERE.
You can find the program for June in English HERE.
You can find the program for June in French HERE.
You can find the program for June in Russian HERE.
You can find the program for June in Arabic HERE.
You can find the program for June in Farsi HERE.
The project Support for the Development of Integration Policy Framework and Service Provision for Refugees in Sofia is supported by UNHCR – Bulgaria.