“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 in Finland, Bulgaria, Croatia and Italy. Kirilka Dimitrova is one of the project’s mentors in Bulgaria. 

Kirilka Dimitrova comes from Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. She grew up in a poor Roma family in the town of Lom. She took on the burden of family life at an early age, despite many obstacles, and went on to graduate with a degree in midwifery in Sofia.

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

Midwife and a nurse despite marrying young

“I took family life on my shoulders early in life. I got married at 17, but on the condition that I would continue my education. Then my first child was born, but I continued to study. I wanted to continue studying to be a nurse or a midwife, but I met resistance from my in-laws. They were afraid that if I studied, I might leave their son. That’s why they wanted me to choose between my family and my studies. At the risk of parting with my child and husband, I chose to continue my education. That’s why my in-laws 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 is separated from her child. But the thought of getting an education was more important than anything else. My husband married another woman. I continued to study. After a while, my husband came to 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.”

Kirilka Dimitrova qualified as a midwife, gave birth to two wonderful sons and built a valuable and respected professional career. She worked for 30 years as a midwife and theatre nurse. She worked as a midwife in maternity hospitals in the Blagoevgrad region. Hundreds of newborn babies 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 this job – the midwife, the pregnant woman and the midwife’s conscience. So we have to do everything, as the saying goes “Lege artis”, which means “As it should be”.

Motivating Roma girls by writing novels

Ms Dimitrova is also a writer. She is a member of the creative literary associations “XXI Vek” and “Ognishte” at the “Nikola Vaptsarov” Community Centre in Blagoevgrad. She publishes in the centre’s annual literary almanacs.

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 Ms Dimitrova.

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

“I have always tried to show that we Roma are capable of anything. But we have to put in a lot of effort to succeed.”

Mentoring can change lives

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

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.

She is happy to talk about the radiant 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 keen to share my experience and  knowledge with young people from our community. I believe it is a key experience that will strengthen women’s belief in themselves and 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 well-being and inclusion of young Roma women. The project, which is taking place in Finland, Bulgaria, Italy and Croatia, also aims to identify and combat discrimination experienced by Roma women and girls by improving understanding of the impact of multiple discrimination. The project is co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) of the European Union.