Bulgaria

Education & Vocational Training for Minority Communities

WER is working in partnership with Door of Hope Bulgaria to help children from marginalized Turkic and Roma communities gain access to mainstream education. 160 children from four different communities across Bulgaria are directly benefiting from this work.

Total population (millions): 7.7

Life expectancy at birth (years): 73.1

Adult literacy rate (% age 15 and above): 98.3

GDP per capita (PPP US$): 11, 222

Combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio (%): 82.4

Bulgaria shares borders with Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey and has a population of 7.7 million people.

Following a period of instability after the collapse of communism in 1990, Bulgaria has made significant economic progress in recent years and is successfully reducing the rate of unemployment.

However, income and living standards remain low and many families still live in poverty. Ethnic minority groups are amongst the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the country and discrimination against them is common.

Bulgaria joined the European Union (EU) in January 2007 and more than half of Bulgaria’s trade is now with EU countries.

The most recent Human Development Report ranks Bulgaria at 61, with a medium human development rating status. The Human Development Index (HDI) value is 0.840 compared to the HDI of the UK, which is 0.946.

WER works in Bulgaria in partnership with Door of Hope Bulgaria.