Varna, On The Black Sea, July 13, (BTA/GNA) – The UNICEF Representative to Bulgaria, Christina de Bruin, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Representative to Bulgaria Narasimha Rao Nilagiri Lakshmi, the Chairman of the local Bulgarian Red Cross branch, Ilko Raev, Varna Regional Governor Blagomir Kotsev and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Elena Petrova Wednesday inaugurated a new Blue Dot refugee support centre in the port city of Varna.

The Blue Dots are safe spaces and one-stop hubs for protection and essential services, rolled out in countries hosting refugees from Ukraine – including Poland, Romania, and Moldova – to provide key protection and social services, including information, legal counseling, psychological support, identification and referrals for children, women, families, and other people and groups exposed to specific heightened risks as they flee the conflict in Ukraine. Blue Dots expand the assistance provided by national governments and are organized in coordination with state authorities and other partners along key transit routes and destinations to help children and families in need.

Pointing out that four in every ten Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria are children, Christina de Bruin expressed gratitude to Bulgaria and all countries accepting refugees with open hearts. Especially children need peace of mind, support, protection services, the UNICEF representative said. This is the sixth “Blue Dot” in Bulgaria and there are already 30 in the region, she said. This centre is a place where children will be able to cope, at least a little, with the traumas they have experienced, and parents will be able to rely on adequate information, counselling, social support, de Broyne added. She urged refugees to enroll their children in school for the new school year because it is a chance for the little ones to return to normalcy.

More than 400,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Bulgaria since the beginning of the war, Narasimha Lakshmi added. He said the government had reacted quickly and proposed a unique system for their registration. According to Lakshmi, 110,000 refugees have requested temporary protection in the country, which enables them to benefit from health and social services.

The UNHCR representative pointed out that the response of the Bulgarian society – citizens, municipalities, businesses – is a great way to respond to a humanitarian crisis. He commended Varna in particular for its extremely prompt and humane response.

Over 92% of the refugees are women and children, said UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Petrova. She called on all Bulgarians to help protect the dreams of the children and to heal as much as possible their trauma and scars from the experience. Let us continue to be open-hearted, to be human, Petrova said.

GNA

Credit: BTA

Varna, On The Black Sea, July 13, (BTA/GNA) – The UNICEF Representative to Bulgaria, Christina de Bruin, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Representative to Bulgaria Narasimha Rao Nilagiri Lakshmi, the Chairman of the local Bulgarian Red Cross branch, Ilko Raev, Varna Regional Governor Blagomir Kotsev and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Elena Petrova Wednesday inaugurated a new Blue Dot refugee support centre in the port city of Varna.

The Blue Dots are safe spaces and one-stop hubs for protection and essential services, rolled out in countries hosting refugees from Ukraine – including Poland, Romania, and Moldova – to provide key protection and social services, including information, legal counseling, psychological support, identification and referrals for children, women, families, and other people and groups exposed to specific heightened risks as they flee the conflict in Ukraine. Blue Dots expand the assistance provided by national governments and are organized in coordination with state authorities and other partners along key transit routes and destinations to help children and families in need.

Pointing out that four in every ten Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria are children, Christina de Bruin expressed gratitude to Bulgaria and all countries accepting refugees with open hearts. Especially children need peace of mind, support, protection services, the UNICEF representative said. This is the sixth “Blue Dot” in Bulgaria and there are already 30 in the region, she said. This centre is a place where children will be able to cope, at least a little, with the traumas they have experienced, and parents will be able to rely on adequate information, counselling, social support, de Broyne added. She urged refugees to enroll their children in school for the new school year because it is a chance for the little ones to return to normalcy.

More than 400,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Bulgaria since the beginning of the war, Narasimha Lakshmi added. He said the government had reacted quickly and proposed a unique system for their registration. According to Lakshmi, 110,000 refugees have requested temporary protection in the country, which enables them to benefit from health and social services.

The UNHCR representative pointed out that the response of the Bulgarian society – citizens, municipalities, businesses – is a great way to respond to a humanitarian crisis. He commended Varna in particular for its extremely prompt and humane response.

Over 92% of the refugees are women and children, said UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Petrova. She called on all Bulgarians to help protect the dreams of the children and to heal as much as possible their trauma and scars from the experience. Let us continue to be open-hearted, to be human, Petrova said.

GNA

Credit: BTA