What we do
The association’s primary goals are integration through education, socialization, and inclusion. Our programs aim to combine contemporary approaches in formal and non-formal education and create an environment where vulnerable target groups can develop and fulfill their potential.
We also work closely with local specialists and professional educators, with whom we provide specialized programs tailored to the beneficiaries’ current needs (at the individual and grassroots levels).
Running projects
Half-day program for children ages 4-7
A half-day program for children between the ages of 4 and 7 aims to support Ukrainian parents and their children in their adaptation, orientation, and development in Sofia. Includes creative classes in handmade crafts, dancing, and drawing, as well as educational lessons in math, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Russian, natural history, and the world around us.
The activity is supported by the Cargill Bulgaria.
"The Five" Youth Programme
Over the past year, working with many students and families, we have created an informal youth program for high school and college students, sustainably engaging Ukrainian youth between the ages of 14 and 18 and their parents in various activities. The program aims to provide a safe space for communication, sharing, exchange, education, and personal development.
„AWO“ Summer School
For the second consecutive year, an innovative integration summer school for refugee children was held. It enrolled 218 children aged between 5 and 17 from Ukraine and the Middle East (Iraq, Iran, and Syria).
The program provides a safe environment for communication, equal opportunities for development, and access to education, socialization, learning the Bulgarian language, adaptation, integration, and psychological support for refugee students who have found refuge in Sofia.
The activity is carried out under the project DFPO-1.008 “Cultural and educational center for integration of refugees and migrants “Arms Wide Open”” from the “Fund for Bilateral Relations” of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (EEA and Norway Grants) 2014-2021, in partnership with Oborishte District, Sofia Municipality and Prios Kompetanse.
"Integration, cultural and educational center for refugees and migrants “Arms Wide Open”
The Integration Centre, a joint project of the Arms Wide Open Association, Sofia Municipality – Oborishte District, and the Norwegian company Prios Kompetanse, is supported by the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021. It is specifically designed to cater to the needs of refugees, third-country nationals seeking/receiving protection, displaced persons from Ukraine, and the local community. The Centre is committed to providing a comprehensive range of social, counseling, legal, and welfare services, all aimed at facilitating their integration into Bulgarian society and ensuring a decent and normal life in the country.
Creative activities for children and adults
Since the beginning of September 2022, the Association has provided speech therapy and creative classes in modern dance, music, and singing in our partners’ spaces, which over 100 children have attended.
Our creative workshops are led by professional teachers from Ukraine who have many years of experience and have won numerous local and international awards.
The activity is carried out under the project DFPO-1.008 “Cultural and educational center for integration of refugees and migrants “Arms Wide Open”” from the “Fund for Bilateral Relations” of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (EEA and Norway Grants) 2014-2021, in partnership with Oborishte District, Sofia Municipality and Prios Kompetanse.
Bulgarian language courses
Preparatory courses in Bulgarian language and literature, with a primary focus on preparation for the compulsory exams and external assessments in grades 4, 7, and 10.
The most serious preparation is for the 7th-grade students, who have the difficult task of getting acquainted with a huge volume of Bulgarian literature and writing a retelling in a foreign language.
In addition to the lessons, we focus on introducing parents and children to the meaning of external assessment.
The activity is carried out under the project DFPO-1.008 “Cultural and educational center for integration of refugees and migrants “Arms Wide Open”” from the “Fund for Bilateral Relations” of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (EEA and Norway Grants) 2014-2021, in partnership with Oborishte District, Sofia Municipality and Prios Kompetanse.
Previous projects
Bulgarian language courses for students
/February-June 2023/
Preparatory courses in Bulgarian language and literature with the main focus – preparation for the compulsory exams and external assessments in 4,7,10 grades. A total of 22 students participated in the different groups.
The most serious was the preparation of the students from 7th grade, who had the difficult task of getting acquainted with a huge amount of Bulgarian literature and writing a retelling in a foreign language.
Apart from the lessons, we focused on introducing parents and children to the meaning of external assessment. Grade 7 exam results ranged between 35 and 70 points, with the average score for 2023 being 55.04 points. The activity is supported by the Bcause Foundation.
English language course/November 2022-June 2023/
Tailored to the individual abilities and aspirations of all those wishing to participate. It covered 30 people aged between 16 and 45, divided into 2 courses of 3 months each, led by a local teacher from 19 Elin Pelin Secondary School and an English-speaking teacher from the First English Language School.
Objective – participants to develop their abilities for free verbal and written communication, to enrich their vocabulary.
The main task is to help students prepare for job interviews where English language proficiency is required, to take exams, and to prepare students. The activity is supported by the Bcause Foundation.
Bulgarian Language Course
/December 2022-March 2023/
For levels A1-A2, developed by the specialists of the educational center “Kristina Progress”, who have gradually become advisors and true friends of our students. The activity covered 52 people divided into 6 working groups that met twice a week for 6 months.
The course also focused on the practical knowledge needed by the trainees to cope with their work and everyday life in Bulgaria, and we organized together with the Sofia Development Association workshops and workshops on business Bulgarian language, writing a CV, job search, and finding a job, rights, and obligations of employees and their employers, etc.
Psychological support/November 2022-February 2023/
For women 18-35 years old. Group offline and online sessions of 7 to 12 people, over 3 months.
The main objectives set were:
To help participants recognize and cope with the symptoms of PTSD.
To cope with the effects of cumulative trauma due to war, possible loss of friends and family, separation from loved ones, sudden relocation to Bulgaria, and difficulties in adaptation.
Coping with loneliness and isolation from family members.
Rebuilding and strengthening the personal identity of each participant. The activity is supported by the Bcause Foundation.
„Arms Wide Open“ Summer School vol.2
/July-August 2023/
An innovative integration Summer School for refugee children, which in two consecutive years has covered about 200 children from Ukraine and the Middle East (Iraq, Iran, Syria) and their parents. The program provides a safe environment for communication, equal opportunities for development, and access to education, socialization, learning the Bulgarian language, adaptation, integration, and psychological support for refugee students who have found refuge in Sofia. They assist parents in caring for their children during the summer holidays, supporting and motivating them to continue their development in Sofia. As a result of our intensive work with students, about 80% of them entered Bulgarian schools prepared and with self-confidence.
„Arms Wide Open“ Summer School vol.1
/July-August 2022/
96 children participated in the program, of which 80 were students. The program focused on the intensive studying of the Bulgarian language to prepare for the upcoming school year in Bulgaria and smoother integration into the school environment. The project team consisted of about 30 people – mostly. Ukrainian teachers and young people who led some of the activities were responsible for the different groups, as well as Bulgarian philologists and volunteers. All of them were employed for remuneration. Upon completion of the project, about 50 children were enrolled in local schools for the start of the new school year and spoke intermediate-level Bulgarian.
Project „sMysl“ for Ukrainian refugees in Blagoevgrad/June-August 2022/
A three-month Bulgarian language course, art workshops, and speech therapy for over 50 children and adults refugees from Ukraine in the city of Blagoevgrad.
The teachers have the necessary qualifications and have many years of experience in schools in Blagoevgrad and the South-West University. The speech therapist and one of the art workshop teachers is a Ukrainian refugee. The activity is supported by the Bcause Foundation.
Project to the call for proposals "We can"- help for Ukrainian youth
/November 2022-February 2023/
“Arms Wide Open” activities and projects focus on the specific needs of our target groups. After the complex and difficult process of adaptation that the people who found protection in Bulgaria went through, the time has come for active support for integration—Bulgarian language courses, education, orientation in the labor market, psychological support, and socialization.
In the current project, we work purposefully with local organizations, companies, institutions, volunteers, and active citizens. The activity is supported by the “We Can” Fund of the Bcause Foundation.
"Karapuz" full-day nursery for children 4-7 years old
/July 2022-February 2024/
An all-day kindergarten for children between the ages of 4 and 7 aims to support Ukrainian mothers and their children in their adaptation, orientation, and development in Sofia. By February 2023, 50 children had passed through the daycare center, seven of whom entered Bulgarian first grade in 2023 and eleven in local kindergartens.
Bulgarian Language Course
/November 2022-February 2023/
A joint course of SofiaLab and Arms Wide Open co-funded by the European Commission’s AMIF program. The course is designed for 30 participants and lasts 48 hours, starting at level B1.
It is conducted online, with six workshops to be organized in addition to the training and a financial literacy course.
The course was attended by Ukrainian refugees from all across Bulgaria who speak Bulgarian at a basic level.