Desislava Dares to Dream

Roughly 750,000 Roma live in Bulgaria, representing about 11.3% of the population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Roma neighborhoods were cordoned off to mitigate the spread of the virus. This caused a rise in cases and deaths among these communities and curtailed normal daily living.

In 2020, Convoy of Hope began both Agriculture and Women’s Empowerment programming in the country, which led to the implementation of Children’s Feeding.

Convoy of Hope believes that meals can transform lives and communities. When kids don’t receive the nutrition they need to grow and learn, there is little chance they’ll escape a life of poverty. Nutrition opens the door to education, which leads to opportunity, which leads to better and brighter futures. 

When children are fed — when families know where their next meal is coming from — everything changes. 

Desislava is a young Roma girl. She and her older sister began living with their grandmother after their parents separated when Desislava was just 2 years old. As the sole provider of the household, their grandmother works seasonally in the fields, but doesn’t earn enough to consistently feed the family. They’ve had to borrow money to put food on the table.

Desislava’s parents’ absence cut short her dreams for a better life and damaged her sense of self-worth. Her grades in school were barely passing. 

Everything changed when Desislava joined Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding program. Her grades have improved, and she has dreams of becoming a nurse — her life goals now fueled by proper nutrition.

To help more kids like Desislava dare to dream of what their future can be, give to Convoy’s Children’s Feeding initiative.