Partners Bulgaria Foundation

Partners Bulgaria Foundation is an independently governed local non-governmental organization aimed at advancement of democratic development in Bulgaria through enhancing civil society participation and promoting a culture of peace, dialogue and conflict management at local, national and regional levels. Its mission is to reinforce democratic change in adherence to human rights principles by encouraging relevant actors to adopt and implement effective polices and practices in areas like judicial law, social care, child protection, education, economic development and ecology.

PBF is a member of Partners for Democratic Change International - global partnership of twenty independent, local organizations in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, which work to advance civil society, good governance and a culture of change and conflict management worldwide.

PBF works towards achieving its goals through the following activities:
 Research, analysis, evaluation and recommendations for policy change concerning socially marginalized groups (including ethnic minorities, children and adolescents at risk, under-aged offenders and others)
 Education and training in the areas of effective communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, civic education, leadership, organizational development, group consensus and others.
 Mediation as an effective tool for individuals, groups and organizations to resolve neighborhood, family, business and other disputes.
 Cooperative planning, facilitating meetings and public discussions as well as decision-making process.
 Campaigning for raising awareness towards issues of public importance
 Networking - establishing and maintaining contacts between affiliated local centers throughout the country for implementing large-scale projects and enhancing collaboration.

Projects:

• Child Protection and Inclusion

PBF is seriously engaged with activities related to protection of vulnerable groups of children, especially children from ethnic minorities, children with disabilities and those at risk of abuse (violence, neglect, trafficking). Therefore, the approach adopted by PBF is a multi-dimensional one and reflects the complexity of the issue. Research and identification of best practices are coupled with provision of capacity building trainings for specialists with a child protection mandate, promotion and incorporation of innovative methodologies. In view of the best interest of the child, PBF conducts active advocacy initiatives and networking.

This model is fully incorporated in PBF's work within the "Positive Approaches towards Primary Prevention of Child Abuse" project, aimed at improving the environment for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties so that they live safely in their own community - free from abuse, corporal punishment and neglect. The project works towards prevention of child abuse associated with environmental risk factors such as family context and parenting style, poverty and conditions surrounding it, exposure to violence, quality of child care and child services. Success was achieved with the publication of the innovative methodological guidelines "Physical Intervention" and "Positive Approaches for Working with Children with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties" and their wide adoption by various specialists.

• Child Rights

A fundamental area of interest to PBF is the promotion and protection of child rights. Throughout various programs, PBF works to improve the situation of children at risk, children with disabilities and those deprived of parental care by fostering policies and practices in compliance with international norms and standards. An indivisible aspect of this process has been the training and consultation of parents, teachers, educators and other social professionals.
Within the regional Child Trafficking Response Program, PBF has elaborated a comprehensive model for the prevention of child abuse and trafficking. The model is based on three pillars: 1) provision of direct services to children at risk and increasing their resilience to risk factors through the peer education method; 2) capacity building of professionals, ensuring the implementation of a child rights-based approach; and 3) advocacy for the incorporation of the model and other best practices on national and local levels. The elaboration of innovative publications, among which a Peer Education Training Manual, has been widely recognized by state and non-state actors as indispensable tools in programs, which strive to prevent violence and abuse and minimize unsafe migration and risks of trafficking.

More information is available on the webpage www.partnersbg.org