Prayer Needs

Reachout

            Bulgaria

                                                                                                                                  Making  a difference

www.reachoutbulgaria.co.uk

Registered Charity No 1124549

                                  Once again thank you for your fellowship in the work of                         Reachout Bulgaria.

                                         Thank you too for those who pray and support the work financially.

GORNA KOZNITSA

Reachout Bulgaria has been  visiting this orphanage for 5 years during which time we have regularly provided new clothes, shoes and food. Our work parties have replaced sewers, refurbished bathrooms and toilets, repaired roofs and redecorated bedrooms,

For 3 years we have employed a nurse there to improve the care of several ill children. For 18 months we have also employed 4 helpers to work 1:1 with the children.

There has been a vast improvement in these children who are now able to sit at a table and draw, build bricks etc and even listen quietly to music.

However another organisation is now working there with 3 full time workers and they are planning to re-house the children in family homes later this year

Our nurse has left due to ill health and I feel the time has now come to pull out of Gorna Koznitsa and concentrate on other orphanages.

KUSTENDIL – 29 children 3-7 years

This orphanage where we installed a wonderful playground 2 years ago is well run and the children are loved and well cared for. They still have needs as funding is low. It is a joy to be welcomed there and the children really enjoy the fun and attention as well as the fresh fruit we take.

KUSTENDIL BABY ORPHANAGE – 58 infants

We have recently started visiting this home on the same site with baby clothes and toys. On our last visit we bought 2 much needed fridges for them

MEDVEN ORPHANAGE – 59 special needs children

We continue to take teams regularly to this home to work with the 20 severely disabled children on the top floor. They have greatly benefited from the therapy and the special seating we provided. They have about 25 children with severe autism who are too difficult for us to

work with but we do find time to play with the remaining 14 children who attend school on site

The rooms this group use are in very poor condition and we are taking a Work Party in May to refurbish their bathrooms and re decorate their bedrooms.

The new Director there is proving a bit difficult and we ask you to pray that our relationship with him will improve.

PLEVEN BABY ORPHANAGE – 253 infants

Teams have visited here 3 times now and we have been able to spend about 15 days on 1:1 therapy with the 50 severely handicapped babies on the top floor. The standard of care here is very poor, the babies are changed once in 24 hours so spend most of their time wet and uncomfortable.

They wear grey leggings which are drab and ragged. Currently 4 ladies from our church are making leggings of colourful material to replace these.

The babies are rarely picked up, feeds being propped up in cots. Too bad if the baby drops it, the bottle is removed! Feeds consist of fruit juice thickened with flour. I hope to be able to fund proper feeding and am taking out a specialist paediatric dietician from Oxford in March to assess needs and implement changes.  Praise the Lord for This Provision.

7 of us will spend 5 days here in March and we hope to be allowed to teach staff about, handling, stimulation, nutrition and recognition and alleviation of pain.

Staff believe these children are not like other babies i.e. do not experience discomfort or pain. I have been able to get funding from TBACT a UK charity to fund 20 helpers to befriend these babies, they started in the New Year and we hope to see big improvements there.

FUTURE PLANS

►Therapy team Pleven 7^th – 14^th March 2009

►Therapy team Pleven 16^th – 23^rd  May 2009

►Work Party Medven 23^rd – 30^th May 2009

►Therapy team Medven 23^rd – 30^th May 2009

►August and October teams to be arranged.

If you are interested in joining a team please contact Jenny

Prayer and Praise

►Praise God for the health to continuel this work

►Praise God for meeting financial needs

►Praise God for the many team members

►Pray that we will be able to improve nutrition of babies at Pleven.

►Pray that we will be allowed to advise staff and that they will be receptive.

►Pray for good relationships with Medven director

 Thank you for your continued prayer and support for the work of   

Reachout Bulgaria