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Trust for Social Achievement Foundation (in bul. Тръст за социална алтернатива) is a Bulgarian non-governmental organization established on 9 August 2012 in Sofia, Bulgaria. TSA, for short, is an organization that provides financial support through projects in order to reduce poverty in the country, and to bridge the gaps in education and market activity of people from economically vulnerable groups.

The Foundation's activities focus on Roma, two-thirds of whom live in poverty.

Sarah Perrine, CEO

Management

Sarah Perrinе has been the Executive Director of the Foundation since its foundation. Prior to that, she was the Director of the Program for the Economically Disadvantaged at the America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) for almost four years. Under her leadership, ABF created a number of successful programs and funded more than 50 project initiatives supporting education and access to income security for the disadvantaged.

Members of the Board of Directors The Board of Directors of the Foundation are currently Veneta Ilieva ( with over 20 years of experience in banking and finance, actively involved in the establishment of DSK-Rodina PLC), Emilia Karadocheva (CFO at the Bulgarian-American Investment Fund (BAIF), Rosen Ivanov (Managing Director and Partner at Black Peak Capital), Victoria Blazheva (First Vice President at UniCredit Bulbank, Communications Director and Diversity Manager of the bank) and Iliana Sarafian (Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science). She has worked in various international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme, the Open Society Foundations - London, and in the NGO sector in and outside Bulgaria).

Diversity of the TSA team

TSA works in more than 600 locations in Bulgaria

History

The Foundation was established to help people in Bulgaria to reach their potential - for education, professional development and prosperity. That is why the Trust for Social Alternatives focuses its efforts on creating opportunities for disadvantaged people, including the Roma community.

Over a third of Bulgarians live at risk of poverty and social exclusion - the second highest percentage in Europe. That is why the Foundation has over the years been researching and looking for solutions on how to reduce the achievement gaps of the more vulnerable groups in Bulgarian society. For this purpose, the team works with highly qualified and motivated professionals from different backgrounds from Bulgaria and the world. In doing so, evidence is gathered in each area of work to develop some of the most successful models of support.

TSA is also an important source of support for organisations working in the Roma community and disadvantaged people. Based on its experience, its partnerships with community-based civil society organizations, and its ongoing research, the Foundation is actively involved in the development and formulation of policies and programs at the national level.

Over the past ten years, TSA has partnered with over 87 CSOs, supporting 330,000 people across the country who have participated in various Foundation programs and initiatives in more than 700 locations nationwide.

The Foundation has proven that successful models of support can also be developed to organizations in regions of the country that are traditionally underrepresented and have lower levels of civic engagement. Over 64% of the partners of the Trust for Social Achievement work outside Sofia. TSA adds to the unique position of organizations by providing and introducing new research and best practices.

An important focus of TSA's work is evaluating the impact of individual activities. Evaluation is an important factor in developing and implementing more effective policies and practices at national and local levels. Through the development of its network of partners on key issues, the Foundation contributes to the promotion of social policies and practices in Bulgaria, such as:

• Abolishing fees for all children to attend kindergartens in Bulgaria;
• Providing expanded prenatal care for pregnant mothers through our Together-Healthy Baby, Healthy Future patronage service and through a legal change in Health Regulation 26, which now provides twice as many checkups for uninsured pregnant women;
• Providing free transportation to vocational schools when travel is required to reduce the dropout rate;
• Housing regulation of three Roma neighbourhoods in Kyustendil, Peshtera and Dupnitsa;
• Improved procedures for issuing Bulgarian identity cards;

TSA is actively involved in the process of dropping all kindergarten fees in Bulgaria

TSA mission is dedicated to reduce poverty in Bulgaria and to make more people economically independent

What Trust for social achievement do?

The Trust for Social Alternatives develops and introduces different approaches in an effort to ensure equal opportunities for all. Therefore, TSA's efforts are focused in four program areas:

Early Childhood Development - the goal of the program is to promote healthier child rearing as well as improve children's school readiness. Investing in the first six years of a child's development has been shown to have the highest returns in terms of education and economic activity. That is why TSA works to prevent teenage pregnancy, runs a specialised patronage service "Together-Healthy Baby, Healthy Future" targeting young women up to 22 years pregnant for the first time, and to increase the quality of access to childcare for children up to 6 years of age by building the capacity of partner organisations, institutions and professionals - including the creation of a network of 11 NGOs across the country, part of the "With Care from 0 to 3" project;

Educational Opportunities and Achievement - the Social Alternative Trust team believes that a prosperous economy is based on a quality workforce and educated people. It also believes that in order to reduce social inequalities in society, raise educational attainment and prepare young people for the labour market, they should have improved access to quality education. To achieve this, TSA funds programs that provide direct financial support to students from poorer regions, scholarship projects, and provides transportation and textbooks for youth and children who live far from their school.

Economic development and access to employment - the programme aims to assist and support vulnerable groups from the Roma community in the process of education, professional development, career guidance and achieving economic independence. Roma secondary school graduates typically earn 83% more than their peers with only primary education. Yet, with 53% of Roma in Bulgaria working in unskilled jobs, the need for continued efforts in vocational training, skills upgrading and small business development remain critical. That is why one of TSA's first initiatives under this program involves projects that help enterprising and ambitious people start or expand their small family businesses in agriculture through hands-on mentoring and access to capital. The focus of the programme is on the development of Roma youth because of high unemployment among them. Almost one in three youth from the community is not working. This has prompted TSA to initiate a project, again under this programme, to increase the skills of youth up to the age of 29 so that they are more prepared for the labour market and meet the necessary criteria and conditions of business.

In addition to the labor market, the Foundation's team has been making systematic and long-standing efforts related to the regulation of neighborhoods with a predominantly Roma population, with the goal of assisting municipalities in the preparation of detailed spatial plans and zoning, so that illegally constructed residential buildings, the only ones for their inhabitants, can be given a tolerable status that protects them from forced removal. In a continuation of the approach, communities in these neighbourhoods are given the opportunity to buy land and start building legal residential structures themselves. Currently, under the Regulation and Housing Programme, the Foundation is helping around 2,000 families in Kyustendil, Peshtera and Dupnitsa to have a legal home of their own. Thanks to the good and successful joint partnership with the municipal administration of these places, the Foundation is spreading its urban planning experience to 30 other municipalities in the country.

Capacity building - sustainable change requires highly motivated, capable people and organisations. Therefore, TSA invests time, energy and resources in capacity building activities of other NGOs in the country. This includes working directly with beneficiaries, organising thematic conferences, training events and external speakers, networking and development, and helping individuals to participate in external and internal training, coaching and mentoring opportunities. The Foundation also provides scholarships to participate in leadership and financial capacity building programs through the NGO Audit Fund (Beneficiary Audit Fund). The ultimate goal is to build public trust and achieve lasting and sustainable change in people's lives.

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