"Animus Association" Foundation

The project “Support Center for Victims of Domestic Violence” is supported by Medicor Foundation, Liechtenstein. Its implementation period is September 2015 – February 2018.
The overall project goal is to provide possibilities for children, adolescents and women victims of domestic violence in Bulgaria to recover from the consequences of the experienced violence and to acquire skills for an independent life, free of violence. Specific project objectives are:
1. To support survivors of domestic violence through a set of comprehensive psychosocial support services targeted specifically at victims of domestic violence;
2. To increase the capacity of AAF staff to work with cases of domestic violence and to promote a multidisplinary approach in the management of complicated domestic violence cases;
3. To ensure sustainability of services for victims of domestic violence in Bulgaria through piloting the minimum standards for services for survivors of domestic violence, organized in a specialized support center.

The target groups of the project are women, adolescents and children victims of domestic violence, couples in a situation of domestic violence and/or separation, relatives and members of the extended families of survivors of domestic violence and the staff of AAF providing direct support to victims.
The project contributes to the achievement of AAF long-term goal to develop a specialized support center for victims of domestic violence in Bulgaria. In addition, it plans to pilot the The Minimum Standards for Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence elaborated in a previous project of AAF supported by the OAK Foundation. The proposed project continues and builds upon the good practice of programs already resumed in the first project funded by Medicor:
• crisis intervention and psychotherapeutic counselling
• empowerment program
• pedagogical program
• community work
• family consultations program
• advocacy program
The capacity of professionals is supported and developed through regular:
• debriefing seminars and
• clinical supervision on cases

The project enables hundreds of victims who are not accommodated in the crisis center to receive support recovery from the effects of domestic violence, whereas the Crisis Centre “Sv. Petka ” is a key element of the integrated Support Center. Through the programs of the Support Center the internal resources and the resiliance of women and children are improving, as well their social skills and independent living skills. The professional community is receiving support to work effectively in cases of domestic violence following the elaborated minimum standards for services for survivors of domestic violence.