By Kamelia Tzeneva | Project Lead
As the colder months approach, we want to talk to you about time — specifically, the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
From pregnancy to a child’s second birthday, the body and brain grow faster than at any other point in life. The foundations laid in this window shape a child’s health, learning and resilience for decades to come. Good nutrition during these days is not a luxury. It is the groundwork for everything that follows.
And here is the hard truth: this window does not wait. A baby who goes without proper nutrition at six months cannot make up for it at six years. What is missed in those first 1,000 days is very difficult to recover later.
Why This Matters for the Families We Serve
For many young mothers in Bulgaria’s Roma communities, those 1,000 days unfold under enormous pressure — insecure housing, limited access to healthcare, and incomes that cannot stretch to cover formula, nutritious food or vitamins. Winter only makes it harder. Heating, clothing and food all compete for the same few euros, and too often, nutrition is what gets cut.
These are not abstract risks. They are real babies, growing right now, in homes where the next meal is uncertain.
Why Monthly Giving Makes the Difference
A one-time gift helps in a moment. A monthly gift helps us build something that lasts.
When we know what support is coming in each month, we can plan ahead. We can keep essentials in stock. We can follow a mother from pregnancy through her baby’s first steps, instead of only responding once a situation has already become a crisis. Consistent support is what turns emergency aid into real, lasting protection for a child’s development.
And it does not need to be large. Five or ten euros a month, given steadily, can mean regular formula, nourishing food and basic nutritional supplements for a family that would otherwise go without. Small amounts, multiplied by many people and repeated month after month, are what make this work possible.
We Need You With Us
We cannot do this alone. Every infant we reach is a child given a fairer start — and every monthly donor is part of that start.
If you believe that every child deserves a healthy beginning, please consider becoming a monthly supporter today. However small your gift, it will be there when it matters most: in the days that shape a whole life.
By Aylin Dzhafer | Head of Gifts and Partnerships
By Ivanka Puleva | Project Leader
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