What does The Marble Project do?
As a small group of volunteers based in East Anglia, we raise vital funds throughout the year, and currently channel it to deserving projects in Bulgaria via the friends and contacts we have made in the locality. Some of those are elected officials, including Mayors of local Municipalities, as well as Directors of Institutions we support.
Several times a year a number of volunteers will visit Bulgaria to see how our funds are being spent and to look at potential new projects. We raise funds from a number of sources including donations, sponsored events, concerts and quiz nights.
We pride ourselves on three core values as a small charity:
- All trips to Bulgaria are fully funded by the volunteers own resources.
- The charity has no administrative expenses – all work is carried out on a voluntary basis.
- 100% of funds raised are spent on the most deserving projects.
Our volunteers travel to Bulgaria a few times a year to visit people, places and projects to make a practical difference. We take on a variety of projects; from building a shelter for the elderly, to running handicraft classes for children, as well as purchasing much-needed equipment and essential supplies – to name just a few. We also organise day trips which give the handicapped and disabled a rare chance to experience life beyond the institutions looking after them. It’s also a priceless experience for our volunteers.
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.