"Community Development and Participation Through the Chitalishte Network" ("Chitalishtå") is a project of the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the support of the MATRA Programme of the Netherlands government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The goal of the project is to strengthen the community role of the Chitalishte as traditional cultural and educational centers and offer working models for their modernization and participation in local community development.
The project covers a period of 3 years and has a budget of USD 2 475 000, with cost sharing inputs as follows: USAID - USD 1 000 000, MATRA Programme - USD 975 000, and UNDP - USD 500 000. The National Coordination Office in Sofia and six Regional Centres in Blagoevgrad, Vidin, Kurdjali, Pleven, Sliven and Shumen support the practical implementation of the project. Central and local governments, and partnership with non-governmental organisations and local business are an important source of support in the process of achieving the project’s aims.
The project is a natural continuation of the pilot project "Community Participation and Development in Bulgaria" (1997-2000), in which 41 Chitalishte participated, and of the models and practices it employed.
300 Chitalishte have been selected as permanent partners of the project and they are entitled to participate in all the activities and competitions organised under it. Another 600 Chitalishte have access to a narrower range of activities.
The "Chitalishte Project" promotes the institutional strengthening of the Chitalishte by means of a National Capacity Building Programme.
The funding of Demonstration Projects is intended to encourage innovative activities of the Chitalishte participating in the network.
25 Internet Centres in the Chitalishte provide Internet access to remote and underdeveloped regions, and promote the IT skills of the Chitalishte staff and the local communities.
The Chitalishte Portal Site provides full and accessible information about the Chitalishtå network
The Possoka Chitalishte Newsletter prints stories about the progress of the project activities.
Six public information units operating within the Regional Centres inform the public about the mission and activities of the United Nations Development Programme and other donor organisations.
|
