Team
Albena Boneva - Chairperson of the Management Board
Chairperson of the Management board since 2005 and co-founder of the Helping Hand Foundation. She has a Masters degree in Finance from the Veliko Tarnovo University. In 2003 she was awarded the title of Local economic development expert, after a successful training with the American Agency for International Development. In 2009 she recieved an additional qualification as a social worker in the field of social services for children and families in risk, from FICE - Bulgaria. After 5 years of working experience as an expert in regional economic development and European integration in the Municipality of Dobrich, and trainings in the USA, she switched to the NGO sector, willing to put her organizational experience into the realization of social projects and the building of an organization, which would strive to change the status quo.
Her job is to manage, monitor and assess the social services, activities and projects of the organization. Since 2011, she is a member of the Control Board of the National Network for Children.
Nelly Kartalova - Project coordinator
Nelly has been working in the Foundation since it was established in November 2005. She is a graduated Master of Industrial Management from the Technical University of Varna. She has and additional qualification as a social worker in the field of social services for children and families in risk, from FICE – Bulgaria. Her workingn experience as an expert in International projects and programs in the Municipality of Dobrich until 2005 is an invaluable asset in her work as a project coordinator in the organization. Nelly is a certified expert in economic development with the American Agency for International Development, and she successfully employs her experience in coordinating the activities of our organization. Her duties include drawing up project proposals for applying to different domestic and international donor organizations and institutions, updating our website, overall coordination of our projects and organizing the work of the Helping Hand Volunteer Network.
Temenujka Slavova - Team leader in the Community Support Centre
She is a graduated Master of Social Pedagogy and has been additionally trained in Social Administration. In 2009 she recieved an additional qualification as a social worker in the field of social services for children and families in risk, from FICE - Bulgaria. After 6 years of working experience in different social institutions in Dobrich, in 2007 she joined the team of the organization as a volunteer and in 2008 she was employed as a social worker in our Centre for Social Rehabilitation and Integration. Since 2009 she has been successfully ballancing her duties as a social worker and the leading of the team in the Community Support Centre. Temenujka is highly skilled as a leader and organizer of our social services, supervising the methodical management of the activities in the Centre. Beside leading the team, she also leads her own cases of children from risk families, foster children, she is involved in field social work, training and assessment of foster parent candidates, supervision and consulting of active foster families.
Ivelina Petrova - Social worker
Ivelina has been a part of the organization’s team since its creation in 2005, first as a volunteer in all activities, including daily work with the children from the Daga Home on various projects for social skills formation. In 2009 she aquired a professional qualification as a social worker in the field of social services for children and families in risk, from FICE – Bulgaria, and has been working since as a paid social worker in the Community Support Center. Ivelina’s job is to lead cases of children and families with an emphasis on prevention of abandonment and on foster care. In 2010 she was one of the mentors of the volunteers in the Helping Hand Volunteer Network.
Margarita Gancheva - Social worker
Margarita has a degree in Social Services from the University of Veliko Tarnovo. In 2009 she aquired a professional qualification as a social worker in the field of social services for children and families in risk, from FICE – Bulgaria. As a social worker in the Community Support Center she leads cases of children and families in risk, trains and assesses foster parent candidates, supervises and consults active foster families. Her professional experience includes being a social worker in the Social Support Department of the Municipality and in the Family-type Center for Abandoned Children, and is a great asset in her present work with families in risk and children in institutions.
Zornitsa Ivanova – social worker at the Community Support Centre
Zornica has been on the team of the Foundation since its start in 2005. From 2005 to 2008 she worked as a volunteer. After that she was employed as a social worker at the Centre for Social Rehabilitation and Integration. She has a master’s degree in Social Work from the St.Cyril and St.Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo. In 2009 she acquired an additional qualification as a social worker in the field of social services for children and families in risk, from FICE – Bulgaria. Since then she has been working as a social worker at the Community Support Centre. Her job includes leading of cases of children and families mainly in the field of abandonment prevention.
Rositsa Petrova – volunteer at the Foundation
Rositsa has been a volunteer on the Helping Hand Foundation team since its start in 2005. Her original ideas and artistry have been invaluable for the realization of every initiative and campaign of the organization. She lends her help in the translation of our website and uses her creativity and skills in every activity of the Foundation she is able to join. She is also the maker of all our videoworks. An alumna of the Language School in Dobrich, she holds a BA degree in Tourism Management from the Varna University of Economics and is currently taking courses toward a MA degree in English Language and Teaching at the St.Cyril and St.Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo. She works as an English language tutor and book translator.
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