A YOUNG MAN'S STORY
Miro is one of the youths who visit the Centre and participate in different activities like: sport, drawing computers, cooking and gardening. He has managed to give up bad habits he had while living on the streets. Here is his story.
My name is Miroslav Borislavov Rusev. I was born in Silistra. I have two brothers and a sister. She died at her birth. One of my brothers lives with my mother, the other - with my father. I am 19 years old. At the age of 9 me and my mother came to Sofia. I got lost at the Central Train Station. It is where I stayed and learnt to inhale glue. When I bacame 10 years old I went to the "Faith, Hope and Love" Centre in Sofia. Afterwards I started going to school and went back to my mother. She had a boyfriend who tormented me physically and mentally. I began running out of classes and stopped going to school after the 7-th grade because my mother got tuberculosis and I had to care for my younger brother.
Life on the streets taught me many things which most of my coevals don't know living in normal families. These things help me to survive in difficult situation of my everyday life. However I also possess many bad habits which are not normal for some situations. At least I learnt that friendship and trust are more precious than a suitcase of money. I have a friend whom I trust very much. He helps me with money for school and clothes and often gives me personal advice too. He is just like a father to me…
In general it is very difficult for me to survive on the streets. I have made sandwiches and bookbinding to earn money. I started working for a printing house in Sofia 3 days ago. I hope that I shall manage to bulild a life of my own in the future. I want to complete my education. The big problem is that I don't have a home. I am curruntly living in an abandoned former printing house on 18, 11 August Str. with several other girls and boys.
I go to the 16+ Day Youth Care Center everyday where I have access to sanitation, bath, food, different courses. There I learnt to manage my money, make a plan for the day and communicate properly with my coevals. I participate in different activities under the "Rainbow" project like: Cooking, Sport, Computers, Sewing, Fitness and Ceramics. This project has now finished but I am looking forward to other new activities in the Centre. I work tree days a week so I can go there during the other days. The support I get from the social workers in the Centre can be found nowhere.
I don't know what will happen with me in 5-10 years. I don't want to think about this now but rather consider my everyday duties.
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