‘Bulgarian Christmas’ charity campaign raises 1.5 million leva
The “Bulgarian Christmas” (Булгарска Коледа) charity campaign 2013 raised more than 1.5 million leva for the treatment of ill children.
The initiative has been held annually since 2003 under the auspices of the head of state, raising funds through text messages and donations, to a special bank account and online.
The focus of the 2013 campaign was to assist the treatment of children with serious sight and hearing impairments. The funds raised will be use to buy high-tech equipment for university and regional hospitals for the early diagnosis of visual and hearing impairments in young children.
The sum is lower than that raised in 2012, the first campaign under the auspices of President Rossen Plevneliev, which added up to 2.07 million leva.
The 2012 campaign focused on treatment of children with neurological conditions. The sum raised paid for treatment for 485 children, while 1.4 million leva was spent on equipment for 10 therapy centres.
When Georgi Purvanov was president, a total of 18.14 million leva was raised in the 2003 to 2011 campaigns, the highest in 2007 (3.77 million leva) and ranging from 1.3 million leva in Purvanov’s second year as president to 1.36 million leva in his final year.
(Photo, from the closing concert in aid of Bulgarian Christmas: president.bg)
