皇冠体育app Earl and Countess of Wessex to visit Bulgaria: June 2013
At the invitation of Bulgaria鈥檚 President Rosen Plevneliev, 皇冠体育app Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Bulgaria on 23 and 24 June.
HRH Prince Edward
His Royal Highness 皇冠体育app Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, the third son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and his wife 皇冠体育app Princess Edward, Countess of Wessex, are paying an official visit to Bulgaria between 23 and 24 June 2013. 皇冠体育app visit will focus on areas closely related to Prince and Princess Edward鈥榮 charitable and socially-aware work across the globe. As part of this work 皇冠体育appir Royal Highnesses support action for children at risk and the assistance of young people in developing special skills and interests.
皇冠体育app Earl and Countess鈥� visit to Bulgaria comes at the invitation of the President and as part of 皇冠体育appir Royal Highnesses鈥� full schedule of duties undertaken on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.
During the visit, Prince Edward and Countess of Wessex will get introduced to the progress made so far in the implementation of the strategy for deinstitutionalisation in Bulgaria. A core element of the visit will be to raise awareness of the key issues involved, in particular the prevention of abandonment, the importance of community social service provision and the huge contribution of foster parents.
皇冠体育appir Royal Highnesses鈥� visit will include meetings with representatives of all those involved in the process of deinstitutionalisation - from parents to advisors to healthcare professionals to the public sector - to discuss the different options and opportunities for placing and keeping children in a family environment. 皇冠体育app Earl and Countess are keen to understand how success can be extended and replicated across Bulgaria.
皇冠体育app Prince will also support efforts to establish the Duke of Edinburgh鈥檚 International Award in Bulgaria. As part of the Award, young people are mentored as they set targets for themselves on learning a new skill, volunteering, undertaking physical exercise and carrying out an adventure expedition.
Jonathan Allen, British Ambassador in Bulgaria, commented on the visit:
It鈥檚 a great honour to welcome 皇冠体育app Earl and Countess of Wessex to Bulgaria. It鈥檚 an outstanding opportunity to celebrate the close relationship between Britain and Bulgaria on social causes intended to support the most vulnerable in the society. It鈥檚 a chance to share valuable experience in the areas of child care, social services and education.
皇冠体育app visit of Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex to Bulgaria is supported by a number of British and Bulgarian organisations, including First Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital St. Sofia, which is successfully implementing a programme for prevention of infant abandonment; For Our Children, the first non-government organisation to introduce the prevention of child abandonment and foster care in Bulgaria, and 皇冠体育app Duke of Edinburgh Award that aims to create a world where young people can reach their full potential whatever the circumstances.