With the holidays approaching it is time to reflect on the year passed.
2020 proved to be very unusual which made us direct all our efforts towards the coronavirus crisis but it also helped us look back and analyze our behaviours. We at Cedar were convinced that we can do anything – together as a team but also as a community built around the cause and determined to follow and support our mission. And while we socially distanced ourselves, we realized how important it is to help each other out, and this is how we managed to bear the lockdowns, the isolation and the homework.
It was a hard year for us but during those hard times we came across and attracted new partners and were inspired to look for new ways to reach out to people and businesses. We had to be more creative, more observant, more aware. Our main priority was to keep our children and staff safe, sound and healthy and to do so, we had to work hard to secure a safe home and workplace and to adapt our work processes to a domestic environment.
In 2020 we lost some of our potential donors and sources of income but our long term supporters by our side. We ran some successful online campaigns and we adapted our traditional charity quiz to a digital format. Our annual charity gala became the first hybrid charity event to be held in Bulgaria. The new format made it possible for people around the globe to take part and support our work.
Our advocacy efforts were also fruitful. We managed to influence governmental decisions which secured free Covid-19 testing and additional financial support for social services. The Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria honored our claim and annulled Article 5 of Section II of the Methodological Guidance regarding the application of the Social Assistance act and its regulations due to violations of the public consultation procedure. And despite rootless protests and the postponements, the Law for social services entered into force on July 1st.
If we have to sum up how 2020 looked for us at Cedar and our community, it was a year of togetherness and mutual support. Therefore, we would like to express our gratitude to all Cedar employees, all volunteers that support our work and to all Cedar friends and partners, for believing in our work. Together, we are changing lives!
Happy holidays!
