Abby Proctor | Missionary in Bulgaria
Empowering Children in
Bulgaria to Get Education
The Problem
Roma Children in Bulgaria do not Have Access to Impactful Education.
We live in a big world - with a lot of big problems. In every community, you’ll find marginalized people - stuck in cycles of poverty, oppression, and injustice.
Last summer, I interned in Bulgaria and found the communities there stuck in these cycles. I saw problems like a lack of quality education, discrimination, poverty, organizations that can’t work together, strategies that fail to empower local leaders, and cookie-cutter solutions that rarely result in sustainable change.
Maybe, like me, you feel an ache in your chest that compels you to be part of change that actually makes a difference.
I believe that the key to creating lasting change is centered in a model Jesus showed us 2000 years ago.
During His time on earth - He showed us a strategy that focused on the whole needs of a person, brought people together, and resulted in sustainable change.
These ideas are central to what I will do with One Collective in Bulgaria. After spending a summer there, I found that when people work together and follow Jesus' ways, the result is real and lasting.
Model
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Watch
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Learn
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Model - Watch - Learn -
Learn about the model I will be using in Bulgaria
See how One Collective’s global strategy and the ways of Jesus are transforming communities around the world today. This is how I will be going about change in Bulgaria
Why I am Choosing to Serve Abroad
The Roma community in Bulgaria faces systemic discrimination, lack of access to quality education, and a perpetual cycle of poverty with little hope for a better future.
In Bulgaria, the Roma people are denied basic rights and opportunities simply because of their ethnicity.
My Experience:
During my internship last summer, I witnessed firsthand the substandard living conditions in segregated Roma neighborhoods – families crammed into dilapidated homes with limited access to public services. Children played in streets littered with garbage, their prospects dimmed by a failing education system that views them as inferior.
How I was Impacted
What struck me most was that amidst such hardship, I saw a deep reservoir of resilience, strength, and human dignity in the Roma people. Yet their dreams and aspirations were constantly hindered by prejudice and marginalization.
At that moment, I realized that every person, regardless of ethnicity or circumstance, deserves the opportunity to pursue their hopes for a better life. I committed myself to being a part of the solution.
I am Going Because:
I believe that every person, regardless of ethnicity or circumstance, deserves the opportunity to pursue their hopes for a better life. I am committed to being part of the solution in this community.
Want to learn more about the work I am doing in Bulgaria?
Schedule a time to meet with me using the link below or send me an email at abby.proctor@onecollective.org
Three Ways to Partner With me
1. Partner by Sharing
Share with others what God is doing in Bulgaria and encourage them to partner with me and One Collective to make a difference. This can be done by sharing the website and/or sending me their contact information.
2. Become a Prayer Partner
Prayer is so powerful and needed as many problems cannot be changed with our own strength but only through the power of Christ and coming before him and asking him to work in people's lives and hearts. You can partner through prayer and receive email updates about what God is doing and how to continue to pray for those in Bulgaria.
03. Become a Financial Partner
To be able to be in Bulgaria and show God’s love to the children, I need a way to provide for my own basic needs, such as a place to live and food so that I can love the people well. Doing ministry will only be possible with financial partners who love the people and are willing to sacrifice for the children in Bulgaria to grow in God’s kingdom.
