 | As in New Orleans, millions of people in Bulgaria saw their homes damaged or destroyed by devastating floods. |
In the days before Hurricane Katrina struck the United States, three Yale affiliates -- doctoral student in immunology Andrey Antov, associate research scientist in pharmacology Darina Lazarova, and recent M.A.R. recipient Galina Draganova -- were finalizing their plans for a campus fundraiser to help the thousands of people affected by damaging floods this summer in their home country of Bulgaria.
Now the three hope that their Sept. 23 event, titled "A Taste of Bulgaria," will result in a sharing of generosity for both the citizens of Bulgaria and the residents of the Gulf Coast whose homes, property and, in some cases, entire communities have been destroyed by flooding.
"A Taste of Bulgaria" will feature an address by Nikolay Milkov, Bulgaria's deputy minister of foreign affairs, as well as Bulgarian music, dancing, food and wine. It takes place 6-9 p.m. on Friday in Sage Hall of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES) 205 Prospect St. Attendees can make their contribution to either (or both) the Bulgarian Red Cross or the American Red Cross. The public is invited, and parking will be available nearby at Ingall's Rink, corner of Prospect and Sachem streets.
Members of the Bulgarian community at Yale have helped plan "A Taste of Bulgaria." Performers include the Yale Slavic Chorus, which will sing a selection of Bulgarian songs; pianist Alexander Lialios '08, who will play a piece by a Bulgarian composer; a performance by the duo Dve Nevesti; and dancing to a selection of Bulgarian songs by Diana Dimitrova, a graduate student at the F&ES.
In addition, "A Taste of Bulgaria" will include a PowerPoint presentation featuring images of Bulgaria by Antov, an award-winning photographer whose works have been exhibited at Yale and other sites, as well as pictures from the Bulgarian media of the damage caused by the flooding. A selection of Antov's photographs -- both of Bulgaria and of other landscapes -- will be available for purchase; a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Bulgarian Red Cross.
The floods in Bulgaria are the result of a summer of severe storms and torrential rain that affected central Europe. According to Antov and Draganova, at least 20 Bulgarian citizens died, and some 2 million Bulgarians experienced damage to their homes, property or livestock. Some 14,000 residents of the country -- which has a total population of around 8 million -- were displaced after losing their homes.
"In some cases, whole houses were taken away by rivers, and the railroads were disconnected in most parts of the country," says Antov. "Because there is no emergency warning system in Bulgaria, people had no prior communication about the floods and did not expect to be affected by them."
As is the case in the Gulf states, many areas in Bulgaria are without electricity and phone service, and the residents whose houses were destroyed typically have no homeowners' insurance, notes Draganova, whose family home is now uninhabitable.
"As was the case for the survivors of the tsunami, there is no infrastructure in place to help the Bulgarian victims of the floods," she says.
Draganova and Antov say that while their event will help both Bulgarian and American flood victims, the focus of "A Taste of Bulgaria" will be to celebrate Bulgarian culture. Members of the local Bulgarian community are donating traditional foods and desserts for the event, which is supported by the Office of International Students and Scholars at Yale.
For further information, visit the website www.bgYale.com, or send an e-mail to galina.draganova@yale.edu.
T H I S
'A Taste of Bulgaria' to aid flood victims
in another corner of the world
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Campus Notes
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