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Walking across Kazanlak's neat
square, Mark O'Sullivan looks
like any other Bulgarian. And
after four years of working
and living here with his family, he speaks
the language quite well. The only give
away of his Irish origins from a glance is
his ginger goatee.
The Maglish school/orphanage for
children with hearing impairments is one
of the many places that The Cedar
Foundation, a brainchild of the Irishman
works.The bright yellow and blue curtains
in the children's common room now
replace the torn net curtains of before, the
walls are now sunny yellow and bright
blue with murals from a local Bulgarian
artist. Blue comfy sofas and new tables
and chairs adorn the room. Now the
children not only watch TV here, but they
are also taught arts and crafts every week
by volunteers from the foundation.
Basketball and football are played outside
in the uneven and concrete play court, but
that is for a future project!
Mark created the foundation in order
for it to facilitate and enable the people of
Bulgaria to meet the needs of their own
communities. It aims to do this by creating
equal opportunities for those who have
physical and mental disabilities. This is
achieved by spending quality time with
vulnerable young people, by carrying out
renovations to where they live, work and
play and by working in partnership with
existing NGOs, local and national
institutions.
The Cedar Foundation is a registered
charity and is funded by private persons,
the business sector and various other
organisations. Brian Howard, Director of
Bulgaria Property Investment, is
arranging for the children to have some
specialised treatment, and is coordinating
activities in the UK together with Mark.
He has linked up to form an English arm
of The Cedar Foundation so that people in
England can not only just read about
Bulgaria's needs but can now also have the
practical opportunities to do something
about them. THESE CHILDREN NEED
YOUR HELP in any way you can, so
contact Brian on brian@bulgariaproperty-investment.co.uk tel +44
(0)7852 336 171 or Mark on
info@cedarfoundation.org tel +3359 889
228 935 or go to web sitewww.cedarfoundation.org (under
construction) Investors, it is time to give
something back.
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