They educate our children, teach our teenagers how to be independent and successful at school and in life, build virtual bridges between parents and teachers, and make our society a little more tolerant every day. They are Bulgaria’s true, unsung heroes—those who work for a better tomorrow—and the America for Bulgaria Foundation is proud to have helped them reach for the stars.
We are especially proud when others share our appreciation of our partners’ work. Their successes reinforce our belief that meaningful initiatives and people trying to solve problems and improve their communities deserve support and respect. Congratulations!
Space Challenges Junior’s Petia Nikolova was selected to participate in a US State Department program for women leaders in science. This fall, the accelerator program called Hidden No More: Advancing Women in STEAM Fields gathered together 50 outstanding women from around the world holding leadership positions in STEAM fields and in their communities. The program included meetings with prominent American scientists and visits to research labs and science centers such as the California Science Center, home to NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour. Petia was chosen to participate in the prestigious program for her work with children in the Space Challenges Junior program at Muzeiko, which aims to inspire interest in science and research among kids.
Single Step founder Ivan Dimov took part in the Facebook Community Leadership Program. Facebook’s pilot program in community leadership, launched this year, will train 100 NGO representatives from different countries to use the social network to promote their activities and reach a wider audience. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will receive funding and additional support for their work. Ivan left a career in investment banking in New York and returned to Bulgaria to help build a viable and accepted LGBTI community in the country. Single Step helps hundreds of young Bulgarians and their families.
Food chain Lidl will help fund Misho Stefanov’s teen movie series Mini Machines. Misho created the online Mini Machines platform to help high school students acquire key academic and life skills in an informal, entertaining way. Fun videos and interesting guests help teenagers learn the intricacies of teamwork, logical thinking, and skillful communication with others. On October 31, the lessons reached a whole new level with the premiere of the Mini Machines series, which tells the moving story of a young man on a quest to recover his friends’ trust.
Shkolo.bg was Startup of the Year in 2017. Annually, the InvestBulgaria Agency recognizes the most important investment projects developed in the country over the past year. Shkolo.bg was created by Miroslav Dzhokanov, an alum of ABF’s Summer Entrepreneurship Program and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Bulgarian Leaders and Entrepreneurs (ABLE). In just two years, Shkolo.bg helped with the digital transformation of over 500 Bulgarian schools. The website is among the 30 most visited in the country, with more than 100,000 parents using the Shkolo platform every day to communicate with their children’s schools.
Photos: Petia Nikolova talking about satellites at Muzeiko; Single Step founder Ivan Dimov and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg; Misho Stefanov, Mini Machines director
