Fifty delegates from all over the world voted at the international committee meeting of Service Civil International (SCI) using hand-made Bulgarian “sourovachka” – a decorated cornel-tree twig with which Bulgarians wish good fortune upon each other at Christmastime. The idea was introduced by the host organisation Cooperation for Voluntary Service (CVS-Bulgaria), an official branch of SCI since 2003.

From Decemeber 5 to 9, Homa from Sweden, Low from Malaysia, Torben from Germany, Chiniya from Nepal, Pedro from Brazil and Silvie from Belgium gathered with 40 other SCI delegates in Vladaya, just outside of Sofia. They discussed volunteering and youth exchanges, made plans for the coming summer and elected the new members of the SCI executive committee, where the goal is to further promote the values of the organisation, such as non-violence, solidarity, inclusion and respect for the environment.

For almost 90 years, SCI has co-ordinated short- and long-term voluntary projects for people of all ages and backgrounds. The first international workcamp was a peace project organised in 1920 by Pierre Ceresole and his friends in Verdun, France. After World War 1, Europe had to be reconstructed and the people needed to co-exist peacefully. This first action started a movement of international volunteer workcamps. Even though the first experience was not easy, the idea spread. Volunteers from this camp wanted to inspire others to work for peace as an alternative to military service. The number of volunteers rose quickly and they gained support from local people and their governments. This rise led to the founding of Service Civil International.

Currently, SCI has 43 branches and groups worldwide and an ever-growing number of partner organisations. The network spans five continents, but is based mainly in Europe and Asia. Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in a huge variety of projects all around the world. For example: run activities for refugees in Kenya; plant trees in Iceland; help organise a multicultural arts festival in Finland; promote the idea of a democratic Palestine to children in Syria; rebuild a community hall in Sierra Leone; teach English to nuns in Nepal or build an environmental centre in Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian branch has been active since 1998. The aims of CVS-Bulgaria are to popularise the idea of voluntary work through organising voluntary initiatives, to motivate young people to participate in voluntary actions, and to promote and support international understanding, solidarity and social justice.

CVS-Bulgaria organises short-term international voluntary exchanges and training courses, seminars, study visits, workshops and discussions. Young people get an opportunity to participate in projects of different areas – culture, ecology, art, work with children and disadvantaged people, in Bulgaria and all over the world. But it is also an opportunity to travel and explore the world, practice foreign languages, make new friends, learn about other cultures and ways of life, learn what surovachka or sangria means.

Over the past nine years, CVS-Bulgaria has hosted and sent more than 600 participants on a variety of projects. The Bulgarian volunteers are mainly students, but the organisation also supports disadvantaged youngsters from social institutions, giving them a chance to find their place and integrate in the global society.

There are two working groups in CVS-Bulgaria in which volunteers participate. One is the Social Working Group that deals with the social and cultural activities and workcamps; the other is the Eco Working Group dealing with the eco-centre in Vlahi and corresponding eco-workcamps. In 2007, the old school in Vlahi opened it doors again, this time for tourists and schools groups who want to learn more about nature in the region of Pirin Mountain. The building was renovated by Bulgarian and international volunteers acting on self-initiative, without seeking material reward, believing in the importance of the project for the local comunity.

One of the other projects was a workcamp at the Orthodox monastery of Gigintsi, western Bulgaria, where volunteers helped the monks in their everyday work and in renovating the building.

CVS-Bulgaria’s activities would not be possible without the financial support of private and public donors, such as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the European YOUTH programme or the Bulgarian Pobeda, which donated sweets for the international meeting in Vladaya.

*For more information on supporting the projects of CVS-Bulgaria (Cooperation for Voluntary Service – Bulgaria), contact Julia Yordanova, tel: 088/ 824 21 92, 02/ 989 98 46. Learn more about the organisation via e-mail: cvs-bg@bluelink.net and http://cvs-bg.org.