The Handover Ceremony of Rotary Club Sofia International took place on 23 June 2021 at Mind to Mind in Sofia. The event was realized in two parts. Official part followed by a cocktail for informal fellowship. The official meeting was organized in hybrid way and we had the honor to have online presence of members of RC Paris Agora as well as Mr. Michail Sougarev, Past President and member of our club. Physically present were more than 20 people – Rotary Club Sofia International members and their guests.
The official meeting and handover ceremony started with a very nice presentation of the President Mr. Marc Bouzy including a report of his year with the charitable actions, meetings organization, partnerships, international relations, as well as achievements during the year. After the presentation Mr. Marc Bouzy provided the President’s necklace to the new President Mrs. Hristina Malchevska as an official inauguration ceremony in Rotary.
The new President gave a short speech showing gratitude to Mr. Marc Bouzy for his wonderful Rotarian year, his dedication and time resulting in great charity actions, international relations development, and keeping the good spirit life nevertheless the pandemic. Afterwards, Mrs. Malchevska gave information about the summer meetings planned at the same place as last year in the Club of Architects in the center of Sofia, 11, Krakra Str., every Wednesday from 7 pm, starting 30 June 2021.
The fellowship continued with a nice buffet and cocktail, where members and guests enjoyed a great time together. The view from Mind to Mind was magnificent, because of its location on the roof of a 5 storey building.
Rotary Club Zlatograd-Nedelino Summer Celebration took place over the weekend on 18-20 June 2021. Our members Ms. Hristova and Mr. Badan accompanied by our guest Mr. Dale attended the event. The festivities commenced with an informal dinner in a traditional Rodopean restaurant. We tried numerous traditional dishes such as “Patatnik” and “Rodopean kiln”. The entertainment was Kaba bagpipes. The dinner was attended by numerous friends on Friday in the old town of Zlatograd.
On Saturday we traveled to “Yagnevo” Complex (15 km from Zlatograd). 17 clubs took part in a friendly games day with air rifle, archery, catapult and fishing competitions. Rotary Club Sofia International took part and placed a commendable third place in the archery and second place in air rifle competition and received certificates for the achievement. After that we all celebrated with traditional spit-roasted lamb. All in all the day was a resounding success, despite the occasional showers, fellowship and fun prevailed.
The official dinner was superbly organized and the President of Rotary Club Zlatograd-Nedelino, Mr. Rumen Pehlivanov welcomed the guests. After that the word was given to the Assistant District Governor, Mr. Mehmed Ismail who opened the evening with a pleasant speech. Later on Mrs. Suzana Golemilova presented the 15 years of projects of the club – our friends also celebrated their 15 Year Birthday.
A special mention was made of the project between Rotary Club Paris Agora, Rotary Club Sofia International and Rotary Club Zlatograd-Nedelino for the local hospital. More information here and here.
Furthermore, there was the Rotary Chain exchanging ceremony of our host club and Rotary Club Smolyan and the traditional cutting of the cake for the birthday of the host club. The Past presidents of Rotary Club Zlatograd-Nedelino were invited to cut the cake together. The hosts of the evening were Mr. Dimitar Alendarov and Mrs. Emilia Valenti – finalist from “The Voice of Bulgaria”. Ms. Valenti, together with the opera singer Mr. Veselin Vachev gave an amazing performance.
The program of the night was colorful: Kaba bagpipes and traditional Rodopean songs, Bulgarian dances, Russian songs, Spanish flamenco, Greek Zorba dance, Oriental dance presented by the local dance school. Music, traditional dancing and fellowship earmarked the wonderful night.
An interesting Sunday was filled with sightseeing and visits to the Ethnographic Complex – Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of Delyo Voivoda, The church “St. George the Victorious”, Museum collection of the home icon in the Church of the Assumption and a school dating back hundreds of years (Cell school and Mutual school).
Our heartfelt thanks to Rotary Club Zlatograd-Nedelino for a superbly organized event and for their warm welcome of all the Rotary Club Sofia International members and guests. Special thanks again to our friends Mrs. Amediya and Mr. Emil Pashovi.
Twinning of Rotary Club of Hod Hacarmel and Rotary Club Sofia International was signed on 7 June 2021. This partnership was established after joint consideration and approval by the respective the Committees of Rotary Club Hod Hacarmel, District 2490, Israel and the Rotary Club Sofia International, District 2482, Bulgaria, in consideration of the friendship and fellowship that exists between the two Rotary Clubs, considering the 4th Object of Rotary which is “To advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service” and wishing to create links between the two countries.
The twinning agreement includes encouragement and maintenance of regular links between the two clubs in a spirit of cooperation and friendship, joint initiatives, in the service of communities, in particular by carrying out projects in the humanitarian, cultural and youth fields; and to keep each other informed of any other activity worthy of interest. Also to promote exchanges between their members on the occasion of meetings or events organized by both clubs.
Disaster Aid project presentation was hosted on 15 March 2021. Rotary Club Burgas, Rotary Club Burgas Pyrgos, Rotary Club Burgas – Primorie were the organizers of the event. Mrs Irena Brichta, Past District Governor of the Czech Republic and Slovakia District and member of Rotary Club Prague International aided by Mr Sruart presented the program. Disaster Aid International’s aim is to supply clean water for those who do not have access to it.
Lots of families around the world do not have access to good quality water. The project through the use of the SkyHydrant™ is trying to solve this issue. SkyHydrant™ is an extremely effective filter removing contaminated particles in water, including disease carrying bacteria. Each SkyHydrant™ costs around $ 5,000. The SkyHydrants can provide 10 000 liters of clean water per day.
Our friends from Disaster Aid Project in Europe have already helped with purifying the water after the earthquake in Albania, as well as, after the explosions in Beirut.
The program is looking for ambassador in each country, including also Bulgaria.
More information about the project can be found in the videos here and here.
The Past President of Rotary Club Sofia International Ms. Ani Hristova attended the presentation. She presented a brief summary of project to the members of the club during the regular online meeting.
An online meeting with Rotary Club Hod-Hacarmel, Israel, with President Mr. David Afek took place on 26 January 2021. The President and several members of Rotary Club Sofia International attended the meeting. The ICC Israel Bulgaria Committee Coordinator and members of the committee also participated. The District Governor of Rotary Israel together with a Bulgarian born lecturer spoke about the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The meeting laid the foundation for cooperation between Rotary Club Sofia International and Rotary Club Hod-Hacarmel. The two Presidents presented the activities and the projects of their clubs. It turned out that both clubs successfully realized medical supplies donation for hospitals projects during the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from the historical ties and friendship between Israel and Bulgaria, the similar projects realized by the two clubs are a solid ground to start working towards a deeper cooperation. Both presidents expressed their willingness to further work in this direction.
As the meeting was held on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the main topic was an extensive lecture on the Holocaust by a Bulgarian born speaker in Hebrew. Mr. Naftali Hillel, born in Vidin, Bulgaria presented a brief history of his birthplace country. He gratefully underlined in his presentation the saving of the Bulgarian Jews during the WWII by the Bulgarian authorities under the pressure of the society.
The online meeting with Rotary Club Hod-Hacarmel ended with a desire from both clubs to meet again soon.
Donation for Zlatograd Hospital by Rotary Club Sofia International in cooperation with Rotary Club Zlatograd-Nedelino took place on 23 January 2021. The two clubs handed out medical supplies for Zlatograd Hospital MBAL “Prof. Dr Asen Shopov”. The donation is for more than 6000 BGN. It consists of contactless thermometers, protective shields, disinfectants, protective overshoe supplies, protective aprons, gloves and bedlinen. The project realization was possible thanks to the individual contributions of members of the club (Mrs. Linda Kim, Mr. Claude and Mrs. Inna Badan, Mr. Jorg Shenk, Mr. Marc Bouzy). We also received a kind donation from Rotary Club Paris Agora, France. The remaining amount was drawn form the club’s funds.
The handover of the supplies was at the hospital in Zlatograd. Numerous members of Rotary Club Sofia International were present – Mrs Hristina Malchevska, President Elect 2021-2022, Ms Ani Hristova, Past President, Ms Elena Vasileva, Secretary Elect 2021-2022. Members of Rotary Club Zlatograd-Nedelino – Mr Emil Pashov, Past President, Mr Emil Pehlivanov, President also were there. The director of the Zlatograd Hospital, Dr Lyudmil Lichev, expressed his gratitude for the donations.
In the past two years Rotary Club Sofia International supported hospitals in in Shumen, Targovishte and Razgrad by providing medical equipment from Austria. A project in cooperation with Rotary Club Korneuburg and Rotary Club Klosterneuburg. Rotary Club Sofia International is pleased to continue with the medical donation activities this year, with the current project in support of a local municipal hospital in Zlatograd during the difficult pandemic period.
Ronald McDonald Foundation presentation at a regular online meeting of Rotary Club Sofia International took place on Wednesday, 11 November 2020. It was presented by our friend and President Elect Mrs. Hristina Malchevska.
There were 13 club members and the President Elect of Rotary Club Sofia Serdika attending the online meeting.
The meeting started with an update on the club’s project proposals for fundraising. Most of the projects are still in planning phase. More details will be available once the projects are conceptualized.
Next topic was concerning the positive steps being made with our Rotaract Club Sofia International in regards to restarting the club’s activities. Its financial stability also was elaborated upon.
Further on the President updated the participants on the ongoing developments and negotiations with software service providers. These are aiming at helping the club to digitalize its life in the situation of Covid-19 Pandemic.
The highlight of the meeting was a very interesting Ronald McDonald Foundation presentation delivered our friend Mrs. Hristina Malchevska.
The next meeting of the club will be held again online on 18 November 2020 from 18:45 h. All friends are welcome to join. Details on our website.
Regular 2in1 meeting of Rotary Club Sofia International on Wednesday 4 November 2020. The meeting was held in Hilton Sofia and online simultaneously. It was the first of its kind mixed type of meeting, due to the COVID 19 situation.
The meeting started with updates on our international cooperation. The ongoing developments with Rotary Club Zurich International for the support of MED-Bul Project. The continuous developments with opportunities for cooperation with Rotary Club Paris Agora and Rotary Club Ferney Voltaire from France. We also discussed about how to enhance the opportunities from the ICC Bulgaria-Germany cooperation.
We continued with prioritization of the projects our club will support this Rotarian year. The main ones are support for the school in Rakovitsa, support for the orientation club in Elena, support for the Zlatograd Hospital.
Later our friends Ms. Ani Hristova and Mrs. Hristina Malchevska shared an interesting opportunity for cooperation with the “Teddy Bear” Association in Bulgaria. It is a platform for kids, old people and people with special needs, who need help. Ani and Hristina proposed to join efforts with this Association by supporting some of their causes either as a club or personally. Rakovitsa school project will also be put in that platform.
An important topic which we deliberated on is the club life during Covid-19 Pandemic. We as friends must protect each other and our families. In this respect, it is wiser to switch more and more to an online meeting environment, and online organization of tasks, administration, projects. Thus, till the end of December 2020 there will be no meetings held in Hilton Sofia. Few digital tools presented by our president could make the club life possible and more interactive during this online period.
We also considered ideas how to further optimize our club’s website and improve the visibility of the projects on which we are working and improve the fundraising process.
Furthermore, we were glad to speak about the very positive development of our Rotaract Club Sofia International and the plan for ongoing active cooperation with them.
The traditional Oktoberfest of Rotary Club Sofia International this year was on 28 October 2020. It took place in a nice cozy restaurant – Die Alte Lampe – German beer garden “Lanterns” in Lozenets district in Sofia. Our dear friend Mr. Rumen Rusinov was the main organizer and as usual he did a fantastic job.
It is an annual tradition of our club to celebrate Oktoberfest in a different and pleasant ambience featuring nice German beer.
We had a great time together with our fellow Rotarian friends and guests. Apart from the members present, we had the pleasure to be together this evening with our Rotaractors and with fellow Rotarians from Rotary Club Sofia Center. Moreover we were honored by the visit regular guests of our club.
We all had a pleasant dinner together enjoying delicious traditional bratwurst, potatoes and cabbage in addition to the variety of German beer. It was great to meet each other in person, get to know new friends and spend quality time together.
At the end we took joint photos to keep the memories of our 2020 traditional Oktoberfest evening celebration.
Online regular meeting of Rotary Club Sofia International took place on Wednesday 21 October 2020. It was the club’s fourth meeting for this Rotarian season. The meeting was online, as it is planned in our plan and schedule for conducting meetings.
We had 12 club members attending. The meeting started with the announcement of the planned events of our club for the Rotarian. The first one is the traditional Oktoberfest of the club. The plans for 2021 include a Wine Fundraising Event in March. Another event would be the Petanque Tournament in April together with Rotary Club Samokov and Rotary Club Paris Agora from France. A Sitting Volleyball tournament, together with our sitting volleyball team Sofia Owls in May will increase awareness for this initiative of the club. Finally a French Night is planed together with the handover ceremony of the presidents of the club in June. All events will, of course, depend on the developments of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The Handover Ceremony of Rotary Club Sofia International took place on 23 June 2021 at Mind to Mind in Sofia. The event was realized in two parts. Official part followed by a cocktail for informal fellowship. The official meeting was organized in hybrid way and we had the honor to have online presence of members of RC Paris Agora as well as Mr. Michail Sougarev, Past President and member of our club. Physically present were more than 20 people – Rotary Club Sofia International members and their guests.
Rotary Club Zlatograd-Nedelino Summer Celebration took place over the weekend on 18-20 June 2021. Our members Ms. Hristova and Mr. Badan accompanied by our guest Mr. Dale attended the event. The festivities commenced with an informal dinner in a traditional Rodopean restaurant. We tried numerous traditional dishes such as “Patatnik” and “Rodopean kiln”. The entertainment was Kaba bagpipes. The dinner was attended by numerous friends on Friday in the old town of Zlatograd.
Twinning of 
Disaster Aid project presentation was hosted on 15 March 2021. Rotary Club Burgas, Rotary Club Burgas Pyrgos, Rotary Club Burgas – Primorie were the organizers of the event. Mrs Irena Brichta, Past District Governor of the Czech Republic and Slovakia District and member of Rotary Club Prague International aided by Mr Sruart presented the program. Disaster Aid International’s aim is to supply clean water for those who do not have access to it.
An online meeting with 
Ronald McDonald Foundation presentation at a regular online meeting of Rotary Club Sofia International took place on Wednesday, 11 November 2020. It was presented by our friend and President Elect Mrs. Hristina Malchevska.
Regular 2in1 meeting of Rotary Club Sofia International on Wednesday 4 November 2020. The meeting was held in Hilton Sofia and online simultaneously. It was the first of its kind mixed type of meeting, due to the COVID 19 situation.
The traditional Oktoberfest of Rotary Club Sofia International this year was on 28 October 2020. It took place in a nice cozy restaurant – 
Online regular meeting of Rotary Club Sofia International took place on Wednesday 21 October 2020. It was the club’s fourth meeting for this Rotarian season. The meeting was online, as it is planned in our plan and schedule for conducting meetings.
