NEA GERMANIKA Language Centre Makes a Donation to People in Vulnerable Situations
As a gesture of corporate social responsibility towards people in vulnerable situations, Svetla Zhelyazkova, Director of NEA GERMANIKA Language School, donated a computer to the “Nedyalka Kamburova” Centre for Social Rehabilitation and Integration of People with Visual Impairments, which has been operating for three years. The computer will be used by people with disabilities who attend the social institution to listen to audiobooks and for other specialised activities. “The social centre is funded entirely by the municipality, and there is always a shortage of funds,” said its director, Stoyna Zheleva. According to data from the Social Assistance Directorate, there are 701 people with sensory impairments in Kardzhali Municipality, 208 of whom are members of the municipal organisation of the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria. These worrying figures, together with the belief that no one should be forgotten or left unhappy at Christmas, prompted the language centre’s team to choose people in vulnerable situations as the recipients of their donation. Director Svetla Zhelyazkova learned about their need for a computer after meeting with the staff of the Social Centre, who explained that although a project to equip a computer room had been prepared some time ago, it had still not been implemented due to a lack of funding.
During the official handover of the donation, the teams from the Language Centre and the Centre for Social Rehabilitation agreed to work together to obtain specialised computer software for blind people, which would make it even easier to provide services to those attending the social institution. The “Nedyalka Kamburova” Centre plans to offer a wide range of services, including social counselling for people with sensory impairments, basic computer training, Braille instruction, and orientation and mobility training, including techniques for using a white cane and travelling with a sighted guide. At the centre, blind people also develop useful everyday skills, such as learning to look after themselves and manage daily household tasks. Recreational therapy is another part of the support offered to service users. Activities include chess and backgammon, art therapy, during which people with sensory impairments create a variety of items, and cooking. Some activities, such as computer training, require not only the computer donated by NEA GERMANIKA but also expensive specialised software. The directors of NEA GERMANIKA Language Centre and the “Nedyalka Kamburova” Centre agreed to seek the help of other kind-hearted people so that this idea could become a reality.
