”I believe in the transformative power of mentoring”

The RomniME project coordinated by the Deaconess Foundation aims to develop a model based on community work and mentoring to improve the wellbeing and inclusion of young Roma women. Kirilka Dimitrova is one of the project’s mentors in Bulgaria. 

Kirilka Dimitrova is from Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. She grew up in a poor Roma family in the town of Lom. She took on the burden of family life early, with many obstacles – and graduated with a degree in midwifery in Sofia.

Mrs. Dimitrova believes that all people have a mission, and that the thin threads of fate predetermined hers from birth. “I was born on May 24, 1947, the Day of St. Cyril and Methodius (Day of Slavic Writing and Culture) and that is why my parents baptized me Kirilka.”

A midwife and a nurse dispite marrying young

“I took family life on my shoulders early. I got married at 17, but my condition was that I would continue my education. Then my first child was born, but I continued to study. I desired to continue studying either as a nurse or as a midwife, but I met resistance from my parents-in-law. They were afraid that if I studied, I might leave their son. And that’s why they wanted me to choose between my family and continuing education. At the risk of parting with my child and husband, I chose to continue my education. Hence, my parents-in-law refused to give me my child.”

“I set out to get an education at the cost of many deprivations and worries. You know what a mother feels when she parts with her child. But the thought of having to get an education was above everything. My husband married another woman. I continued to study. After a while, my husband came after me with our child because his parents had forced him to marry the other woman and he didn’t want to stay with her – and we lived together.”

Mrs. Kirilka Dimitrova graduated as a midwife, gave birth to two wonderful sons and established a valuable and respected specialist career. Kirilka worked for 30 years as a midwife and operating room nurse. She worked as a midwife in maternity hospitals in the Blagoevgrad region. Hundreds of newborns took their first breath in her hands.

“I will never forget the words of my obstetrics professor who was my mentor. There are three of us in the job – the midwife, the pregnant woman and the midwife’s conscience. So we have to do everything, as the saying goes “Lege artis” which translates to “As it should be”.

Motivating Roma girls through writing novels

Mrs. Dimitrova is also a writer. She is a member of the creative literary associations “XXI Vek” and “Ognishte” at the “Nikola Vaptsarov” Community Center, Blagoevgrad. She publishes in the annual literary almanacks of the community centre.

She has published four novels – the autobiographical “Orisia”, “Unknown Paths”, “Thirst” and “White Swallows”. Her next novel, “Soldier’s Friendship,” is being prepared for publication, and she is currently working on a new novel.

“I believe that with the books I write, I can help and motivate Roma girls to continue their education,” says Mrs. Dimitrova.

Regardless of her age, she also works in the public sphere by contributing to the education of Roma women and children. This is because she believes that education provides an opportunity for professional development.

Mrs. Dimitrova shares: “I have always tried to show that we Roma are capable of doing everything. But we have to put in a lot of effort to achieve success.”

Mentoring can change lives

Today, she spares no effort, energy, knowledge or skills for her mission to help integrate the Roma to the society and to promote education, particularly health education, of women and children.

Mrs. Kirilka Dimitrova is one of the most respected mentors in the RomniME project in Bulgaria. She is an inspiring example and a woman with a rich life and professional experience.

Kirilka Dimitrova happily shares about the radiating and unifying role of a mentor in the RomniME project. “I believe in the transformative power of mentoring. I have experienced it and I know that it works. Mentoring can change the life of an individual and the society as a whole. I am eager to share my experience and pass on my knowledge to young people from our community. I believe that this is a key experience that strengthens women’s faith in themselves, and it will give them a chance for a better life”.

The article was written by the association LIDER from Bulgaria. LIDER is one of the organisations implementing the RomniME project coordinated by the Deaconess Foundation. The project aims to develop a model based on community work and mentoring to improve the wellbeing and inclusion of young Roma women. Taking place in Finland, Bulgaria, Italy and Croatia, the project also aims to identify and combat discrimination experienced by Roma women and girls by improving understanding of the impact of multiple discrimination.