The project “National Social Integration Network for people with disabilities” is executed by “Health for everyone” association, financed by FLGR with the support of USAID.
The project aims at responding to the actual needs of people with disabilities in Bulgaria by means of helping and implementing of national policy in the field of people with disabilities.
The main principle that lies in the philosophy and implementation of the project is passing from passive to active social care that provides effective protective mechanisms for social integration of people with disabilities.
The main hurdle for social integration of people with disabilities is the lack of access to education, health care and last but not least - lack of access to the labor market.
The first objective of the project is increasing people with disabilities’ opportunities for access to the labor market by means of increasing their competitiveness and the capacity of the organizations of people with disabilities. Contemporary trends show that one of the steady and effective ways of providing employment for people with disabilities is establishing social enterprises. Social entrepreneurship, on one side, gives the organizations of people with disabilities an opportunity to achieve stability and to present more and of higher quality service to their clients and on the other side, gives an opportunity for a permanent employment of the representatives of the target group.
To achieve this aim within the frames of the project trainings for developing social enterprise are available for the organizations of people with disabilities. The trainings are conducted at the four training centers ( Sofia, Pleven, Varna, Stara Zagora) as well as at other regional centers of the country, due to the strong interest on the part of the organizations of people with disabilities.
Through their organizations people with disabilities need their own representation in the process of decision-making - regional as well as at national level. This is the second objective of the project – ensuring a mechanism for participation of people with disabilities in formation and putting into practice of the social integration policy. To achieve this objective within the frames of the project Public Councils for social integration of people with disabilities at a regional level are created. These councils include representatives of all interested parties - local authorities, representatives of state agencies, of employer organizations, media. Within these councils working partnerships, aiming at solving a particular problem by making partnership projects or forming effective social integration policies are created.