Bulgaria, a country the size of Tennessee, has 22% of the population living in poverty. The majority of these families identify as Roma. Many Roma families choose to keep their young children home, not sending them to school until age six for 1st grade. When children enter the classroom, they are often unfamiliar with the structure and rules and unable to understand or speak Bulgarian. As children move through the school system, the gap often widens leaving children and their families frustrated, feeling stigmatized and often leading parents to withdraw their children from formal learning.

In fact, 47% of students in Bulgaria are functionally illiterate, school dropout rates are high and teachers are leaving the profession after just three years. Our work in Bulgaria is addressing the gap in language and listening skills, as well as the social skills that suffer when children do not have access to interacting regularly with peers. WWO’s programs address the tragic loss of human potential due to poverty, marginalization, stigma, cultural and language barriers.