Hope for the Slum Named "Hope"
Sliven, Bulgaria: Hope for the Slum Named "Hope"
By Mirjami Ivanov, Board Member of Mission Possible Finland and Bulgaria
“When I look at a ragged child sitting on the ground, scooping lentil soup into his mouth with his hand, I can only conclude that you don’t need to travel far to see misery. It’s enough to go to the next village here.”
These are the words of our Bulgarian co-worker Ivan Ivanov about the slums of Bulgaria. His observation certainly applies to the massive urban slum in Sliven, ironically called “Hope.” It is a place of deep despair. It is hard to believe that we are in the middle of Europe.
Narrow alleys are crowded with people, dogs, boxes, piles of garbage, and makeshift shacks. The slum’s 30,000 residents are mostly Roma and Turks.
Most residents don’t have identity papers because their homes are illegal and they have no official address. That means they cannot access healthcare or social benefits…
We stop at an almost hidden doorway leading into a dark stairwell and down into a basement room used by a small church. The windowless, stuffy space is filled with mothers and babies waiting to receive Baby Boxes. Our team, along with visiting guests and local church members, carries in the Baby Boxes and other packages of children’s clothing to the front of the room.
Hope’s church is one of several in Bulgaria that Mission Possible partners with. For the people, these churches are the only source of light in the midst of hopelessness.
But the churches cannot meet the needs on their own; they need resources and support. Thankfully, those are exactly what we are able to provide. Baby Boxes, literacy classes for children and youth, the distribution of school supplies and clothing, our new program to prevent teenage marriages, training for pastors and their spouses, and biblical teaching for the church – all of these are channels for change. The churches are full of remarkable people striving toward a better future, eager to help the younger generation.
The Baby Box event begins. First, Ivan shares a message with all the mothers, and we pray for each one. Next, the boxes are handed out. I step outside to make room, along with some other team members. The street is crowded with children, neighbors, and curious onlookers. The children are excited – something is happening! Some of their mothers are inside receiving packages, and when they come out, the children rush to help carry them.
Next to us a little girl smiles radiantly while holding a cloth-wrapped doll. Päivi and I look at each other and say the same thing at the same moment:
“If cultural tradition prevails, in just five or six years this girl will be holding a real baby in her arms…” And that is precisely why we are here: to support the church and offer a different kind of future to this next generation.
