Life and health are a gift. Humanity is facing the challenge of how to learn to be helpful and to be tolerant when there is a suffering fellow being. This principle is more important in the extraordinary situation in which we find ourselves today.

As an organization of the Catholic Church, Caritas follows its mission to support people who experience physical and spiritual suffering. The spreading COVID–19 pandemic mobilises us and makes us more responsible for the most vulnerable people for whom we take care of daily.

From the beginning of the declared state of emergency on March 13, our teams have continued to support the most vulnerable while adhering to all epidemiological instructions and measures to protect our workers and the vulnerable people themselves.

Caritas Rouse, for example, has provided daily support to 150 homeless people in the Caritas Good Samaritan shelter and in the Caritas Centre for Rehabilitation and Integration. The homeless have been particularly affected during this crisis as they have no way to ‘stay home’. Caritas Bourgas  has provided care to 40 homeless people in Bourgas at the Caritas centre for mobile and stationary support. Caritas Sofia has provided food to 120 homeless people that have been given shelter in the crisis centres and centres for temporary housing in Sofia.

Approximately 280 elderly people from Rouse, Belene, Pleven, Rakovski, Jitnitza, Sofia, Plovdiv, Malko Tarnovo, Veselinovo and Pokrovan, have received health and social care,  food and medications  delivered to their homes by the Caritas nurses, social workers and volunteers of Caritas Home Care Centres.

Vulnerable families, children  at risk, and children and adults with disabilities are also among those who continue to be assisted from Caritas staffs during this crisis, while following the necessary hygienic precautions. For example, the Caritas social workers from  Caritas Sofia and Caritas Ruse Centres for children with disabilities and from centres for children at risk prepared individual plans for all the children and young people, as well as a programme for group activities. There are online meetings involving activities in physiotherapy, pedagogy, psychology and art therapy, which keep the children engaged and provide a sense of achievement. As well as Caritas staffs provide with food the needed families at their homes.

A big thank you to all our Caritas staff and volunteers who continue to serve those most in need during this crisis.