What does The Marble Project do?
We raise money throughout the year and channel it to deserving projects in Berkovitsa via the friends we have made in the town. Some are elected officials, including the Mayor of the Municipality, while others like us, are volunteers. Several times a year a number of us will go out to see how the money is being spent and to look at potential new projects. Please see our Projects page for details of projects past, future and ongoing.
Once a year the main visit to Berkovitsa takes place; around 12 to 15 of our members travel to Bulgaria to try to make a practical difference. They fund all their own travel and accommodation costs and other expenses; it is a point of pride for the Marble Project that administrative costs are as near to zero as it is possible to get them so that the money we raise goes where it should.
We take on a variety of projects while there; in the past the volunteers have built a shelter for the elderly, run handicraft classes for the orphanages and bought much needed equipment for the old peoples home and orphanage to name just a few things. We also run Fun Days for the orphanages and schools.
In recent times we have teamed up with Shoebury School, some of whose pupils have also been volunteering to spend a week each year in Berkovitsa. Their projects have included organising a sportsday for the local schools, including the children from the orphanage. They have also been involved in passing on more inclusive sports-teaching techniques and in helping to decorate part of the orphanage. By their own accounts they have enjoyed their time in Bulgaria, and returned with a sense of achievement as well as the memory of an experience that has given them a new perspective on their own lives.
Values
The Marble Project exists to raise funds to support the health and wellbeing of vulnerable children and young people, many with severe additional needs and vulnerable elderly people living in Bulgaria. Our intention is to add value to their lives and, under the direction of local professionals help turn ‘existing’ into ‘living’.
Funding is freely given without any expectations other than that it is used for its intended purpose and in line with our charitable aims.
The Marble Project is an independent charity. We are not connected with or affiliated to any political organisation. We are an entirely secular organisation having no links with any religious or spiritual organisation nor promoting any religious or spiritual beliefs.
The Marble Project is committed to inclusive practice in our membership, fund raising, and the allocation of funds raised through our charitable work. All money raised by the Marble Project is used to support work in Bulgaria; all members of the Marble Project entirely self-fund their involvement in and all activities they undertake as part of our charity.
All funds are allocated, and all work is undertaken at the direction of local authorities and professionals working in Bulgaria. All organisations that require our support are identified by local municipalities and their staff as are the work or resources requiring our support.
If the funds we raise are insufficient to fully meet local needs, we reserve the right to negotiate with leaders of local municipalities and professionals to prioritise the allocation of funds or resources to achieve the greatest benefit for the maximum number of vulnerable children and the elderly.
Environmental Impact
The Marble Project is committed to minimising it’s environmental impact through sustainable practice.
We are frequently dependent on the goodwill of other organisations to facilitate or support our work and we are therefore reliant on their commitment to sustainability. This reliance means it is difficult to fully control our ‘carbon footprint’ or sustainability.
In our own practice we take every possible step to ensure our choices and actions take sustainability into account and wherever appropriate champion sustainable practice with others.
We are increasingly taking advantage of new technologies to facilitate meetings, minimise the need for travel and are virtually paperless. Air travel is an inevitable part of our work however this is planned to ensure the greatest possible impact of each trip and no trip is undertaken without a clear purpose and intended outcome.
We are in the process of transitioning from sourcing items required to support our charitable outcomes in the UK to sourcing locally. This has significantly reduced our environmental impact and aided the local economy.
We will continue to evaluate our practice and look for ways to reduce our environmental impact.