Caritas is among the most vulnerable in the COVID-19 crisis

Life and health are a gift. Man is facing the challenge how to learn to be helpful and to be tolerant when there is a suffering fellow being. This principle is more important in the extraordinary situation in which we find ourselves today.

As an organization of the Catholic Church, Caritas follows its mission to support people who experience physical and spiritual suffering. The spreading pandemic of COVID – 19 makes us be more mobilized and responsible for the most vulnerable people for whom we take care daily.

From the beginning of the declared state of emergency – March 13, our teams continue to support the most vulnerable today as we adhere to all epidemiologic instructions and measures to protect our workers and vulnerable people themselves.

👉 150 homeless people receive daily support in the Good Samaritan shelter and in the center for social rehabilitation and integration – Caritas Rouse.

👉 40 homeless people in Bourgas receive daily support from the care givers from the center for mobile and stationary care of Caritas Sofia in Bourgas.

👉 120 homeless people settled in the crisis centers and in the centers for temporary housing in Sofia, receive daily support from the care givers from Caritas’ mobile center for support.

👉 95 elderly people from Rouse, Belene and Pleven receive health and social care from the Home care centers of Caritas Rouse’s nurses and social workers in the appointed towns and villages.

👉 50 elderly people from Rakovski and Jitnitza receive health and social care from Home care centers of Caritas Vitania’s nurses and the social workers in the appointed towns and villages.

👉 40 elderly people from Rakovski receive food and medications in their homes delivered by the volunteers of Caritas Rakovski.

👉 50 elderly people from Sofia, Plovdiv and Malko Tarnovo receive health and social care from the Home care centers of Caritas Sofia’s nurses and social workers in the appointed towns and villages.

👉 50 elderly people from Veselinovo and Pokrovan receive food daily from the care givers under the patronage of Caritas Sofia in the appointed towns and villages.

👉 40 socially vulnerable families from Sofia receive daily support from the care givers of the center for social support “Ready for school” with Caritas Sofia.

👉 The centers for children, youth and elderly people with disabilities in Sofia and Veselinovo – Caritas Sofia provide basic online package activities. That is how they continue to support people in need. The care givers of Caritas deliver the necessary materials to the homes of those who don’t have an option for distant forms of support.

👉 The centers for children and families at risk, the center for support of women in underprivileged situations and the center for integration of people seeking and receiving international protection in Sofia, Malko Tarnovo and Kuklen with Caritas Sofia have started online activities and continueе to help. The care givers of Caritas deliver the academic materials to the homes of children who don’t have an option for online education.

👉 The center for children with disabilities Milosardie (Rouse), the center for social support Tom Sawyer (Rouse) and the center for social rehabilitation and integration for children with disabilities St. Vikentii (Belene) with Caritas Rouse provide distant support for the people in need. The care givers of Caritas prepared the individual plans for all children and young people as well as a program for group activities. The online meetings involve activities in physiotherapy, pedagogy, psychology and art therapy, which keep the level of achievemenst in the development of the children.

👉 Bistro “Karisto” – the social enterprise of Caritas Sofia provides cooked meals for homeless and elderly people and socially vulnerable families.

👉 The social enterprise “Workshop of Caritas” of Caritas Vitania continues to produce handmade soaps and candles. The work materials are provided to the homes of people in vulnerable situation who work in the social enterprise.

👉 The social enterprise “CaritArt” of Caritas Sofia continues to produce their goods. The materials are provided to women, children and young people in underprivileged position in their home.