Tulip Foundation and the National Alliance for Voluntary Action announced for a tenth time the traditional competition for the most interesting and effective voluntary initiatives of the year in Bulgaria. Our lives changed sharply during the year. Everything changed – our daily lives at home, at school, meetings, work… Emotions and needs were different. In a quarantine, restricted contacts, closed shops, schools and kindergartens, there were serious difficulties and in some cases impossibilities to meet basic need of children, families and lonely living older people. For days we were listening about challenges in the functioning of the health system and lack of personal protective equipment.
In a few months different news appeared. News about medical students and other volunteers in the local hospital, for a group of young people who bring various medicines and food parcels to lonely living older people, for neighbours who do the shopping and help with what is necessary for people in quarantine living alone, for an online support groups… many of these initiatives are still there. The need of people to be connected with other people hasn’t changed. This is the essence of volunteering – the connection with others, that changes lives.
Because of the restriction measures there are no public events for months. It was not possible to organise the ceremony for the Voluntary Initiative 2020 Awards on the International Day of Volunteers 5 December.
Tulip Foundation and The National Alliance for Voluntary Action unanimously decided that there will be one award only for the year 2020 and it will be for all volunteers from all ages in all settlements who during the pandemic showed with their actions the value and the power of people with good will.
We encourage colleagues, partners and friends - share the award with all organisation and volunteers that you know.
Thank you, volunteers!