Good deeds

Being part of something, investing your time and professional skills without getting paid for it – how often does it really happen?

Since it has been establishment in 2008, the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion has been working actively to break the vicious cycle of poverty and social exclusion and to restore the hope for a better future in people in need of help and support.

It sounds good, but why do you do it? “Why? Because we believe that every person has an equal right to have access to resources and opportunities that can help him/her to live a life in dignity, to be active and to contribute to the society he/she lives in”, says the team of FSCI. “The best part is when someone who is not part of our foundation offers his/her support. This means that we are doing things right and people notice it. There are a lot of people that support us – some of them financially, others physically or with their skills and expertise – we are a small team and volunteers are definitely part of it.”

Tell us about yourself, Eli.

My name is Elitsa Kraleva and I am 20 years old. I was born in Varna. I am currently studying Economics and Management at the University of National and World Economy in Sofia.

Why did you become a volunteer and why did you choose the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion?

I chose to volunteer because as a student I have a lot of free time, which I would like to use in the best possible way – to do something useful for others.  As a volunteer I meet a lot of different people, and every time I learn something new that I cannot learn at the university.

FSCI is a non-profit foundation that helps people that grow up without parents or people with financial difficulties to integrate and further develop their personalities. What I like the most is the unity of the team – I think they are people who do their job with pleasure and love. They always greet me with a smile and this makes me feel I am in the right place – a place where I am appreciated.

How does volunteering make you feel?

Most of all, helping others makes me feel needed.

In which way do you think you can help the young people who come from specialized institutions for children, deprived of parental care and those at risk of poverty?

I think they need someone by their side while their life is changing. I’m always ready to give them advice and support in difficult times. It is risky but worth it – you are helping, investing efforts, love and emotions, struggling with your own fears without knowing what the outcome will be.

How did the time spent with the young people from “House of Opportunity” affect your life?

Listening to their stories I changed my own attitude to what I was given – home, family. There are a lot of people who can only dream of having a “normal” life like I have.

What are the main things that you help the team of FSCI with?

I am helping in the production of soaps. Sometimes I am also translating or taking part in the events and the campaigns that they are organizing.

If you had the power, what would you change in the world that we live in?

As naive as it may sound, I would say that we cannot change the world, but we can change our attitude towards it by thinking in a positive way and forgetting things like malice and hatred.