16.01.2020Why do we celebrate Vasilitza/ St.Basil's Day with the campaign 'Let's rebuild the birdges between us'
In recent years Vasilitsa (also referred to in media as Bango Vasili) has gained popularity as the Roma New Year. In fact, this is St. Basil’s Day, marked by the so-called "Old style" (i.e. the Julian calendar). Just 3-4 generations ago this was the day when ethnic Bulgarians and other groups also celebrated New Year. Currently, Vasilitsa is not celebrated by all Roma in Bulgaria: for some Roma groups it is a major calendar holiday, while others have lost even the memory of it. Why, then, we, Amalipe Center have been organizing these celebrations for another year as part...
15.01.2020Representatives of Amalipe Center met with US Ambassador HE. Herro Mustafa
Representatives of Amalipe Center met with US Ambassador HE. Herro Mustafa on January 14th. Deyan Kolev and Teodora Krumova talked with Ambassador Mustafa about the situation of the Roma community in Bulgaria, the main challenges facing Roma integration policies and the possible partnership support from the Diplomatic Corps to address the main challenges facing Roma in Bulgaria. Although the 2011 census accounts for nearly 5% of Bulgarian citizens who identify themselves as Roma, data from the Council of Europe and the European Commission indicate that Roma are about 11%...
02.01.2020With gratitude and hope for 2020
Smiles, tears, happiness, dreams and pain - we'be had everything in 2019. And at its end, it is time to appreciate and thank for every moment, every friend, every partner. Even to those who haven't understood us - thank you for teaching us the importance of continuing to work, even working harder to make you understand our cause: to make every child smile.
We thank all the children who have participated in Amalipe Center activities during the year: volunteers, representatives of student parliaments, students involved in various projects. Thank you for every initiative, campaign,...
13.12.2019 PISA results and the distances in education
The results of the PISA Functional Literacy Test conducted in 2018 will be analyses from different countries and perspectives for a long time. Although highly anticipated, the trend of continued deterioration in Bulgaria's results should undoubtedly be a cause for justifiable concern and an incentive to continue / effectively implement changes in the school education system. The "usual suspects" of Bulgaria's lower performance are young people from ethnic minorities, poor families and small settlements. Are they also the cause of the deterioration of 2018 results compared to...
25.11.2019Civic Society strongly condemns Valery Simeonov's election as Deputy Chair of the National Assembly
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Chairman of the 44th National Assembly
Mrs. Tsveta Karayancheva
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Committee chairs
Dear ladies and gentlemen!
Civic order and democratic values are put at an unprecedented risk by the election of Valery Simeonov as Deputy Chair of the National Assembly. It is absolutely unacceptable in the years prior to the expiration of the term of this parliament, Simeonov to occupy the office of one of the most dignified Bulgarians, protecting the Jews from their deportation in 1943 - Dimitar Peshev.
We, the leaders...