What does it mean to be committed to helping young people who have grown up in state care to become independent? What might it cost in terms of professional and personal time and engagement for staff and volunteers in the House of Opportunity programme? For how long should a young person be able to rely on our support? How serious are we about transforming lives?
Meet Emil, a young man whose story is inextricably bound up with House of Opportunity’s own.
Emil (right) visits the Sofia office.
Celebrating anniversary of Burgas HOP
Emil was born into a poor family in a quiet rural corner of Bulgaria. His father left the family when Emil was small, and his mother had ceased to have any interest at all by the time he was 10 years old. By this time Emil was not living at home, instead he lived at the school he attended, in a quiet mountain village called Lipnitsa. The school’s director, Mr Petkov, had negotiated with the local authorities to allow the school to provide accommodation for a significant number of its pupils, who all came from isolated families that lived in the mountains, or from nearby Roma communities. In theory, these children spent the week at the school and returned home at the weekends, but Emil was one of a number of children who lived at the school for the whole term, only returning home when the school closed for the holidays. Emil remembers Mr Petkov with real warmth; he was certainly better treated at Lipnitsa Orphanage School than he was by his uncaring mother.
In those days Lipnitsa received support from a UK based charity called The Trussell Trust, then a little-known organisation carrying out humanitarian aid work in Bulgaria. The Trust had transformed Lipnitsa over the few years ahead of Emil’s arrival, refurbishing the bedrooms, kitchen and washrooms, and replacing the roof. Through its successor organisation, FSCI (House of Opportunity), its work with the school continued until its closure in the late 20-tens. Mr Petkov went on to become the first manager of a House of Opportunity in Bulgaria when it opened in 2007. Emil attended the summer camps that Trussell Trust and FSCI ran for the children of Lipnitsa during that period, and received Christmas boxes in December too. His brief couple of years at Lipnitsa were the good times for Emil. He was safe, had food to eat, and friends and caring adults he could trust surrounding him.
Then, aged 12, Emil was placed in the orphanage in his home town, Roman, an institution with a history of controversy and a poor reputation. Emil’s feelings of abandonment and hopelessness rose up again and he struggled throughout his time at Roman with both unwanted violent attention and simple neglect. His mother could not have cared less, and certainly didn’t want Emil around when he turned 18 and it was time to leave the orphanage.
Emil made his way to the Czech Republic, looking for anything promising. But, living rough, he was soon drawn into drugs; using and selling. He returned to Bulgaria, and a complete breakdown led to his being admitted to mental health institution. After some time there, he stabilised enough to be discharged, but with nowhere to go he once again had to fend for himself on the streets. His home in Sofia was a small shelter he built from old car tyres.
Desperately, Emil looked for a way out, and once again his path led him to FSCI. When he arrived at the office, he looked visibly dirty and was obviously emotionally unstable. The team considered calling the local authorities to get him some help, but tried their own approach first. Emil was met with care, mercy and support. He slowly calmed down and began to recover some equilibrium.
After assessment, Emil joined the House of Opportunity Programme and spent 18 successful months in the Burgas House. He started work, and grew step by step. Eventually he was able to leave the programme on a sound footing, and with something to look forward to.
Some time went by, then a few months ago, Emil renewed his relationship with our Sofia team, and he has been a regular visitor to the office ever since. He comes for a chat, or to ask for some advice. He helps out where he can; recently he joined the volunteers unloading the Christmas box truck. Emil has a job and manages his life independently. He has no need or desire to become involved in drugs or criminal groups. When he faces difficulties, he calls the team, and is supported with guidance, helped with documents and contacts, or sometimes simply with a cup of tea. Emil found a small local church, where he has recently joined in with the music team. He is deeply grateful to God and to the good people he has met along the way who have taken the time to help him.
It is a privilege to know Emil. It is a privilege to witness how God through his grace continues to provide for Emil on his journey toward stability, and to know that we have played part. Emil has been fighting for most of his life. The effort of so many years has left its mark but something good has come out of all the pain and difficulty.
When we talk about the “long-term” we are not just talking about a commitment of years to a project. Part of the cost of rebuilding lives that have been broken by abandonment and exploitation is the time and commitment it requires of staff and volunteers in the Houses of Opportunity. But here we find the rewards too; there is a great deal of joy when we see a young person achieving something once thought out of reach, or in working with them as they come alongside other young people just joining our programmes. For our teams, it is about building relationships with young people that can last a possible lifetime, through its ups and downs, twists and turns. We hope that with your support, we will be a part of many other lives just like Emil’s.
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Emil joined our staff and volunteers to help unload Christmas boxes in December.
It’s a blessing to be part of Emil’s life!