30 participants from 16 cities and villages were selected within the competition for participation in the “A Breath of Fresh Air” Program of the Bulgarian Fund for Women.
Belonging to a community directly affected by polluted air; geographic location, with priority given to representatives from localities with poorer air quality; motivation and activism related to our right to breathe clean air were among the main criteria for evaluating the candidates selected by the Bulgarian Fund for Women’s team – Aleh Stankova (Program Manager), Gergana Kutseva (Deputy Director) and Rosena Ivanova (Office Manager). Due to the worsened epidemiological situation and the restrictions imposed by the health authorities, the results of the competition and the training were postponed from February to May 2022.
List of approved participants of the “A Breath of Fresh Air” Program:
- Ivelina Arbadjieva
- Fuleya Ahmed
- Iliana Balabanova
- Tanya Vanova
- Manoela Georgieva
- Teodora Getsova
- Maria Grozeva
- Radka Daverova-Autan
- Sylvester Dermendzhiev
- Galina Dimitrova
- Tanya Dimitrova
- Nedyalko Draganov
- Iliya Zahariev
- Vanya Zaharieva
- Valentina Zochinova
- Margarita Simeonova
- Dobromira Encheva
- Elena Ivanova
- Proletina Kostova
- Vihren Mitev
- Maria Mikhailova
- Galychka Nikolova
- Venelina Petrova
- Roman Rachkov
- Snezhana Ruyeva
- Ralitsa Solakova
- Zornitsa Spasova
- Veselka Stoyanova
- Darko Tachev
- Ioana Terzieva
- Veselka Hristamian
- Janeta Cherpokova
- Ivelina Vassileva
- Helena Hudzek
The selected participants will go through an intensive four-day training organized for the first time in Bulgaria – “Clean Air Academy”. The training will take place between 11th and 14th of May 2022 in Veliko Tarnovo. All anti-epidemic measures related to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 will be considered. During the training, participants will meet with top air quality experts and learn more about the impact of air on health, economy, climate and well-being, with a focus on negative impact on women, children, and vulnerable groups; the main sources of pollution; international best practices from the civil sector; data, legislation, and advocacy opportunities already available at the local level; tactics to mobilize a network of supporters and raise awareness on the issue, etc.
After the training, participants will have the opportunity to apply with a project to implement in their community, receiving funding of up to 1600 BGN from the Bulgarian Fund for Women.
Thank you to everyone who took the time and energy to share their motivation and ideas with us! We are convinced that only together we can raise awareness around the devastating effects of polluted air on our well-being and health, and work for social change and clean air at the local level.
The program is supported by the Clean Air Fund.
