Sdrawei!

As I am writing this, I am sitting at the airport in Zurich, on my way to New York after a fantastic time in Bulgaria. Arriving in January, I really had no idea what was awaiting me or how my time with Step for Bulgaria Foundation was going to be like. Looking back, it is a time that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am sad to leave this country with such great people, stunning nature and food so tasty it does not prepare you well for the summer season! I have made a lot of great friends whom I will miss very much.

The hardest part was to leave 'my boys' at the Pencho Slaveykov orphanage in Sofia. Teaching them English 3 times a week during my stay, we have had a lot of fun together, and their English has become much better! I am very happy that my good friend Plamen is going to continue with English classes (together with Natalia), and give them the attention and care that they deserve. They are guys with big hearts, wonderful smiles and lots of energy, and I hope from the bottom of my heart that they will be able to succeed in life. I am already looking forward to visiting them this fall!

With regards to the overall work for the Foundation, we have made good progress. The team has crafted a strategy and a detailed implementation plan (soon to be posted on www.stepforbulgaria.org) which will start in just a few weeks. We will (re-)design a new and improved curriculum for the different age groups, and then develop and hold comprehensive training sessions for our Generalist and Specialist Trainers. Teaching of the new program is planned to kick off January 2011. I am really looking forward to seeing the results of our labor, and I have strong faith in the guys who will keep working for the Foundation in Bulgaria. I am hugely impressed with their dedication and efforts, and it's a great inspiration. I will try to help out as much as I can from Norway in the years to come, so as to contribute to the growth and success of this fantastic organization.

We also had a very successful fundraising campaign with Global Giving, where we raised enough money to be permanently listed on their website. Thank you to all who donated!! And if you didn't get a chance, it's not too late, just go to http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/pr/5300/proj5271a.html :)

To all my Bulgarian friends, to the Step team and to my Bulgarian kids: A big blagodaria!

Until next time,

Knut

Sdrasti!

As I am writing this, I am sitting on the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, on my way to Norway for Easter holiday. I have just been a couple of days at INSEAD close to Paris, where Step for Bulgaria had a stand at their career fair. Amongst big companies with lots of fancy schmancy presentation material, there we were - a small, Bulgarian NGO presenting summer internship opportunities at one of the top MBA programs in the world! Very exciting to be present, and we were thrilled by the enthusiasm shown by the MBA students, and hope to receive some good applications soon (our deadline is rapidly approaching, click here to read more about the opportunities).

We are starting to shape the Foundation's strategy going forward, and had a board meeting a few days ago to agree on the direction for the work ahead. The board enthusiastically endorsed our initial strategic thinking, and we will be shaping and finalizing the operating model over the next coming weeks. The whole team is excited and eager to be making a difference in the time ahead!

From April 1 to May 1st, we are entering a global fundraising competition hosted by Global Giving. If we raise £1000 from 50 different donors, we will become a permanent member of their fundraising network! So please donate, you can give as little as £5!

I would also like to say a big thank you to Vartdal Seafoods in Norway for generously contributing a donation to Step for Bulgaria Foundation. Fundraising for a small NGO is often a difficult task, and we are very thankful for this contribution by Vartdal Seafoods!

A couple of weekends ago, a crazy gang of Norwegians came to Bansko for the KTZ004 event. With absolutely marvelous weather, good conditions, fantastic apres-ski and marvelous hosting in the Peev family's house, we had a great weekend in the Bulgarian mountains. Bulgaria impressed the visitors, and I have a feeling they will be back!

Now I will spend some time in Norway, skiing, eating oranges and Kvikklunsj - can't wait! But I am already missing 'my boys' at the orphanage, so looking forward to returning to Sofia soon!

Happy Easter!

Knut

Hello all!

Here comes an update from life in beautiful Bulgaria! Things are going well, and I am enjoying Bulgaria more and more for every day that passes! There is a lot of work to do with the Foundation, and I have been having meetings with a number of people from organizations such as UNICEF, SOS Children Villages, municipality officials and directors of the orphanages. Many positive conversations, and it's nice to see that a lot of people are engaged and working hard to improve the situation for the kids.

I am also very impressed with the people I work with at Step for Bulgaria Foundation. Being the only full-time employee, the others spend their

free time outside of school or work, be it traveling to and from orphanages, giving classes, planning events or other things that need to be done. These people have a real drive for change! Very inspiring, indeed. This weekend I went with a bunch of the girls (brilliant for me, of course, being the only guy ;) ) to Plovdiv and Stara Zagora, two cities about a 2-3 hour drive south-east of Sofia. We gave classes to the kids, as well as having meetings with people to see if we can expand our activities there. The picture on the right shows three of the kids in the orphanage in Plovdiv in the middle of an acting class!

Last weekend I went to Pamporovo, a ski resort very close to the border to Greece. My friends went down a few days before me, so I had to take a small mini-bus on the windy, bumpy and not-so-comfortable-Bulgarian roads - I expect that a popcorn in a very hot microwave feels similar to the way I did when I got there..! :) But we had a fantastic weekend with spring-weather, sun and 15 degrees! In the picture at the top of this blog, you can see the beautiful Bulgarian landscape and also get a glimpse of the rocky mountains bordering Greece.

A few days ago I had the highlight of my stay so far: teaching English classes to some 11 year old boys in the Pencho Slaveikov orphanage here in Sofia! Super eager to learn, and intruiged by the bearded guy speaking in a weird way and constantly giving them high fives, the kids learned the latin alphabet (in Bulgaria they use the Cyrillic alphabet) and learned simple things such as how to say their names. They also got to learn where Norway is on the map, and was astonished that it could only take 3-4 hours to fly such a long distance! I am thrilled to meet my enthusiastic kids again tomorrow, and will continue having English lessons with them three times a week. In the picture on the left, you can see Tomy and Isus writing the alphabet in their new notebooks!

Last week we sent out our first newsletter. Click here if you didn't read it, or click here to sign up for the next one!

Today, on March 1, the Bulgarians are celebrating Martinetsa - a Bulgarian tradition related to welcoming the upcoming spring. The month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of springtime. So, Честита Баба Марта :)

Knut

Hello Bulgaria!

As most of you know, I have moved to Sofia, Bulgaria, to work pro bono as Head of Strategy for a newly started not-for-profit organization, Step for Bulgaria. I have now been here for two weeks, and so far, so good! I am truly enjoying my time here, and the Bulgarians are an extremely friendly and hospitable people (in the picture to the left you can see my good friend Rossitsa giving me a tour of beautiful Sofia). The food is amazing, with shopska salads, sarmi, kebabche, and of course some nice, cold ariena alongside. And drinking of (home brewed) Rakia is mandatory for any male. ;)

It is cold and snowy, i.e., perfect conditions for a Norwegian! The Bulgarians are almost as crazy about skiing as Norwegians, and the Peeva family generously invitied me to their holiday home in famous Bansko; Bulgaria's top ski-resort, situated just two hours south of the capital in the wild Rila mountains. The conditions (as well as the party scene!) were excellent, with 30 cm of fresh powder.

The work for the Foundation is moving along nicely. I am daily learning new things about the situation of Bulgarian orphanages through meetings with various people and by conducting literature reviews. This past Saturday was the highlight of the trip so far, when I got to meet some of the kids for the first time. We communicated as best we could in English, and had great fun together. Boriana Dimitrova, a lawyer in Sofia, was the guest lecturer for the class this weekend, talking about civil rights. The kids listened carefully as she spoke, and contributed actively in the discussions.

In one of the breaks, a 15-year-old boy named Victor started playing the piano, and soon he was teaching his 11 year old sister, Gallia and another girl, how to play! They were very enthusiastic about playing the piano, and we will try to provide them with a music instructor.

Today I also visited an orphanage to set up English classes with some of the kids. I am very excited to start teaching English, and it is a joy to see how happy the children become when they are shown lots of love and care.

Well, off to bed. Leka nosht!

Knut