President Rosen Plevneliev received their Royal Highnesses Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and his wife Princess Sophie in the Lozenets residence in Sofia. The members of the British royal family are on an official visit in Bulgaria at the invitation of the Head of State so as to get acquainted with the practice Bulgaria has adopted in preventing the abandonment of children, the development of foster parenting and the social inclusion of children and youths living in specialized institutions, as well as to share the British experience in these sectors. The visit of their royal highnesses is also part of the international charity and socially-oriented activity of the British royal family.
The presidential institution will continue to support the initiatives that create opportunities for the young people to be an active part of the society they live in, President Rosen Plevneliev emphasized during the meeting. Since 2009 about 1,400 children have left specialized institutions and have found accommodation in protected homes and Bulgaria has set itself the aim to successfully complete this process in the next 15 years. “This is an initiative that has not been exhausted by closing down specialized institutions, but it shows the Bulgarian state’s understanding that the prevention of abandoning children is based on policies for reducing poverty and creating opportunities for a real social inclusion, the Head of State said. The access to high-quality education and healthcare of children and youths who face the risk of poverty is of key importance for achieving stable results, the President further added.
Rosen Plevneliev acquainted the high guests with the Presidential institution’s initiative “The Bulgarian Christmas” and “Support a dream’, directed at helping the treatment of ill children as well as supporting the social realization of youths that have graduated their secondary education and that are leaving the specialized institutions for children.
Lifting the labor restrictions for the Bulgarian citizens in Great Britain as well as the available opportunities for encouraging the bilateral economic cooperation were also discussed during the meeting.
Tomorrow Prince Edward and Princess Sophie will visit First Obstetric-gynecological hospital in Sofia, as well as the center for public support Saint Sofia and will talk with foster families. Later during the day Prince Edward will attend a demonstration of scout skills of participants in the international reward of the Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Sophie will visit the children’s playground Azbukari in the South Park, which has been adapted for games and the education of disabled children.