June 22, 2021, Sofia‘Our neighborhood is separated from the town, it has no name. The young people insist on continuing studying. Many of them are abroad. Those who came back are with obviously changed habits’, shares Kadrie from Provadia.
On June 22, 2021 in the inspiring environment of the University Botanic Garden in Sofia was launched the project ’Awareness raising 
of local communities in areas with significant share of Roma population on asylum and migration issues’. The project is implemented by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) in partnership with a Consortium of three organizations - National Network of Health Mediators, Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association and ‘Ethnic Minorities Health Problems Foundation. The three organizations act from decades as one enlarged team and have considerable success in the fields of health prevention and advocacy. Health mediators from Filipovtsi, Breznik, Tran, Provadia and Harmanly, where field project research is held, together with representatives of NGOs, state institutions and embassies took part at the event. The meeting was moderated by Dr. Radosveta Stamenkova, Executive Director of BFPA, who was also host of a kick-off online project meeting on May 20.
of local communities in areas with significant share of Roma population on asylum and migration issues’. The project is implemented by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) in partnership with a Consortium of three organizations - National Network of Health Mediators, Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association and ‘Ethnic Minorities Health Problems Foundation. The three organizations act from decades as one enlarged team and have considerable success in the fields of health prevention and advocacy. Health mediators from Filipovtsi, Breznik, Tran, Provadia and Harmanly, where field project research is held, together with representatives of NGOs, state institutions and embassies took part at the event. The meeting was moderated by Dr. Radosveta Stamenkova, Executive Director of BFPA, who was also host of a kick-off online project meeting on May 20. 
There is a lack of actual information about the communities concerning migration, in this sense the work on the project is of big value. ‘Many of the interviewed prefer not to say their names. Sometimes they fall into the trap of labor exploitation, signing fake contracts…’, says Tony from Filipovtsi.„We are making research on the experience and knowledge of Roma community concerning their access to health services and the labor market, sexual and labor exploitation, what is important when travelling. We foresee to finalize the research by the end of June, the results will be ready during August and we well be able to present them publicly in September’, informs Dora Petkova from NNHM.
The project continues to 2024 and is by Norway Finance Mechanism via the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its goal is to contribute for raising awareness of Roma population in the field of legislation regulating questions of asylum and migration, as well on risk of abuse and exploitation in Bulgaria, European Union and European Economic Area. People from the target group receive information on the rights and responsibilities they have in legal migration in countries from EU/EEA and raise knowledge on topics connected with asylum and migration as trafficking people and smuggling, risk of labor exploitation in EU/EEA and protection of exploitation, conditions for stay and work, access to social and health services, etc.
