Since the beginning of the year, the Embassy of the Order of Malta to Bulgaria started a collaboration with Italian Union of Enterprises – Confindustria to promote different activities for disadvantaged children. “We have realized that handling emotions for children living in institutions is such a complicated issue”told Gergana Bogdanova, consultant for social projects of the Embassy.

“Often the kids are aggressive and use violence. For this reason, we thought to start a course of emotional intelligence using suggestopedia methods. So, a team of suggestopedia experts and psychologists has started the course for children’s homes in Dolna Banja and Rakovski. The aim is, with the help of non-formal teaching, to provide children with a basic knowledge and better understanding of how to express happy feelings and how to cope with sad emotions. The experts explain the different emotions such as sadness, joy, anger and fear and try to communicate them to the children. “During the process it came out that some of the kids have serious difficulties in reading, some are even illiterate” – explains Bogdanova. A theatrical performance is planned during the course. Meanwhile, the Embassy has organized a field trip in Plovdiv for the kids from Rakovski during the spring vacation and climbing activity in Walltopia center in Sofia for those from Dupnitza and Zelenikovo.