Caritas Sofia was founded on 31 August 1993 and registered as a non-profit charitable organisation at Sofia Court of Justice on 20 April 1994 (no. 20030416009). The 1990s saw Caritas Sofia exclusively focused on providing urgent humanitarian aid to help people survive the heavy economic crisis. Long-term care and assistance provision began in early 2000 as Caritas Sofia registered at the Agency of Social Inclusion and at the State Agency for Child Protection, which enabled the licensed provision of a range of social services. The mission of Caritas Sofia is love and kindness to our neighbor which brings us to those in need. Leaning on Christian values as our guidance, we, the employees and volunteers of Caritas Sofia, assist the most vulnerable members of our society in finding their way to dignity and justice regardless of their religious beliefs, race, gender and other differences. Caritas Sofia is a voice and example of the Social teaching of the Catholic Church. Every person is created in God’s image and in his face we see God. Following the words of Jesus - “What you have done to my youngest brothers and sisters, you have done unto me” - we help the most vulnerable and suffering in the same way that we would take care of Him. Having no means of our own and heavily relying on project funding, we cannot unfortunately cater for the needs of individual cases. Elderly people, vulnerable families and children, refugees, people addicted to narcotic substances, women in need and homeless people all form our target group. Additionally, we also support people wanting to volunteer. The organisation is based in Sofia and assistance is provided in cities and towns where the Catholic Exarchate is present: Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Malko Turnovo, Kuklen, Pokrovan, Banya and Veselinovo.

Have you ever considered living, working, and exploring one of Europe's cultural capitals for six months? Plovdiv is the oldest livable city in the world, where you can explore different cultures. You will work with the team of Caritas Sofia and our volunteers and serve the community of Plovdiv and the municipality of Kuklen. In Plovdiv, you will work with refugees and home care. In the Community Support Center in Kuklen, we work with at-risk children and their parents and relatives living in the Kuklen municipality. As a volunteer ambassador of Caritas Sofia and our volunteer program in Plovdiv! We seek innovative and dedicated individuals who can use their talent and creativity to promote our cause and inspire others to join us. As a Volunteer Ambassador, you will work closely with our team to promote the benefits of volunteering, encourage community involvement and support the development of volunteer programs.

Caritas Sofia will provide accommodation in a single room in an apartment with shared space for cooking and engaging with the other volunteers Plovdiv. All the costs for rent, electricity, water and internet are covered. Participants with fewer Opportunities under certain circumstances will classified for additional support. In addition to that, you'll have a mobile sim card with a Bulgarian number and a card for city transport. Travel costs will be reimbursed.

The organization will transfer the participants' monthly pocket money and food allowances to the bank account in BGN.

The Participant profile: • Social orientation and sharing of the values of Caritas Sofia; • Humanities education or other relevant experience; • Personal experience as a volunteer; • Excellent command of English and one other language; • Desire to learn Bulgarian; • Communication and social skills; • Good computer skills and experience using social media
Deadline: No application deadline

The volunteer will have the opportunity to develop their skills through work. The main activity is support for children and youth in the social centre of Caritas Sofia, the program for refugees and migrants, and the support of older adults. The development of social and communication skills will also be in the context of the participant's commitment as an ambassador of Caritas Sofia, which will help to strengthen the organisation's volunteer network. Your skills will help the Caritas Sofia team promote the organisation's work and create new ideas.

The project is implemented under the European Solidarity Corps Programme, financed by the European Commission.
The participating organisations have to be mindful of these needs as they are responsible for providing a respectful and trusting hosting environment. At the same time, the organisations participating in the initiative devote a great deal of time, energy and resources to set up a high-quality activity; they should therefore expect that European Solidarity Corps participants show a similar level of respect for the local communities and the people that are directly concerned by the activities (https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/mission_en).
What do we provide ?

• Training before and after the project
• Health insurance during your project
• round-trip travel reimbursement
• accommodation and food
• pocket money
• language course
• Return Week-end
• Youth Pass and SVI international Volunteer passport

Before applying for this volunteering project, you need to enroll yourself at European Solidarity Corps Platform (https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en) and specify your European Solidarity Corps Participant Number (PRN).
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label.
Contact the ESC coordinator at +32 2 888 67 13 to get more informations.