Two Bulgarians living in New York have been training for three months now to run the 14th edition of SHAPE Women’s Half Marathon on April 30th. They will not only try to cross the finish line, but will also stand up for a very important cause – the fight for eliminating domestic violence against women and children.
On behalf of Gerry, Tzvetelina “Lina” and Sonia and on behalf of the Bulgarian Fund for Women, we would like to invite you to donate for our cause by the 30th April 2017 on youcaring.com. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a corporate donor!
Why violence against women?
According to The EU Fundamental Rights Agency data from 2014, every third woman in Europe is a victim of physical or sexual violence. Statistics by the World Health Organization confirm that on a global scale, one in three women will suffer physical or sexual abuse over the course of her life. In Bulgaria, the numbers are similar – each fourth women in the country is a victim of domestic violence.
BFW supports various organizations in the country who work for prevention of domestic violence, provide shelter, mental and legal support to victims, and train magistrates and law enforcement officers how to handle abusive situations. In our thirteen years of existence we have supported over 150 organizations and have improved the life of thousands of women, men and children.
The story?
In 1967 Kathy Switzer signed up to run the Boston Marathon under the gender-neutral “K. V. Switzer”. Her registration, however, was illegal. At the time (mere 45 years ago) women were not allowed to take part in marathons, as it was believed it was bad for their health. Kathy did not only complete her run, but also achieved much more: thanks to her hard work and efforts in 1972 women were officially allowed to run marathons in America.
Thank you for helping us change the lives of women and girls in Bulgaria. We wish you to follow your dreams with no one keeping you from doing it.
The Bulgarian Fund for Women team
Gerry, Tzvetelina “Lina” and Sonia Botchoukova
*please visit www.youcaring.com/globalfundforwomen-752585 and donate
This initiative is supported by the Global Fund for Women
Image: Green prophet
