Helping People in Need Doubles the Joy, Volunteers Say

A volunteer initiative named MlaDoS took place in the small village of Taimishte, Bulgaria, September 1-8. The initiative, organized by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Bulgaria and the Youth Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bulgaria, saw more than 30 volunteers get involved in improving the living conditions for two large families in need.

After negotiating a forest road with steep turns and through small villages, we reach the spacious village of Taimishte, located on an oblong hill with an impressive view of the mountain Stara Planina (Old Mount). Here, every house faces the mountain that stretches below the village and brings a sense of solitude in nature.

In contrast to the beautiful nature, another common sight in the village is the unmaintained old houses — unmaintained but inhabited by families who find it difficult to provide better living conditions for themselves.

One of them is Bekir’s family of five. He works on a farm at the edge of the village, but his income is not sufficient to repair his house, and his three children, ages three to nine, live in shared rooms and an unsuitable environment.

After research in different parts of the country, representatives of ADRA Bulgaria contacted the Antonovo Municipality and the Town Hall of the village of Taimishte, having identified Bekir’s family and another family as needing major house repairs. The purpose of the quest was to determine where ADRA should hold the annual MlaDoS program, which raises funds and gathers volunteers from across the country to improve living conditions for families in need.

The MlaDoS program (abbreviation of “Youth” in Bulgarian) stands for “Youth Voluntary Service” and brings together young people and craftsmen who donate a week of their time for renovating a family’s house. The trip is aimed at youth, but everyone is welcome. The selected families are often large households with small children who have an urgent need to improve their living conditions.

“The families we help live in poor living conditions due to low income or many children,” ADRA Bulgaria executive director Marian Dimitrov said. “They live in old buildings, [and] very often the houses have no sanitary facilities and [the] people live inextreme poverty.”

Almost three dozen volunteers arrived in the village of Taimishte with the desire to do the urgent repair work for the two families for a week. An internal bathroom and toilet are being built in both houses. One house gets a new roof, and the other gets new windows and renovated rooms. A day after the work began, the roof of the second house was removed, and construction of the new one soon began. At the same time, the sewers were dug out, and the work proceeded with impressive speed.

“My motivation to join the MlaDoS program is that we can help a family,” volunteer Nikolay Karadjov said. “I am here with my wife and our nine-year-old son, who also helps. I want my child to have a desire to help people and to understand that it is much more valuable when you do something for another person rather than only for yourself.”

Camelia has been a participant in the program for three years and shares that one of the most emotional moments for her is when she sees the joy in people’s eyes. “Helping is a good thing and brings me great joy. As much as it brings happiness to the families, I think twice as much to me, and seeing their smiles is a very satisfying feeling,” she said.

Dimitrov commented that after MlaDoS, the volunteers are motivated to do good in the world and make a change in their environment and community.

“Young people come back not only with tired and sore hands, but there is a much deeper meaning for them,” Dimitrov said. “This is where friendships, belonging, and awareness are created. After the MlaDoS program, young people become more active, more responsible, more inspired and motivated. They grow up here.”

The MlaDoS program is implemented with the support and cooperation of the local municipalities and town halls, and the funds for the repair activities are raised with voluntary donations from people and construction companies that provide materials.

At the end of the week’s work, all the goals set for the volunteers have been met, and there is even time left to decorate the children’s rooms with beautiful nature illustrations. The families themselves also contribute to the quick working process — everyone, from the youngest to the oldest family members, gets involved to help and provide food and support to the volunteers.

“You made us very happy; I have no words to express my gratitude and joy,” a family member told volunteers. “Thanks to your whole team!”

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-European Division news site.