Teodora Kolakova has been a social worker in Stara Zagora since 2011, dedicated to caring for children and families in need. Her professional portfolio includes various positions, from child protection and work at a European-funded Early Childhood Development Center to her current position at the Center for Public Support for Children and Families, managed by the municipality of Stara Zagora. “The position requires you to understand everything and be able to handle everything,” says Teodora, “but the biggest motivation is the contact with people and the opportunity to be useful.”
Teodora’s connection with the Roma community began early in her career, when child protection workers often worked on cases involving Roma families. “We have established pathways and relationships in various Roma communities, and now they recognize us and seek us out. I see how generations are changing—the children we worked with now have children of their own and show a desire to develop and apply what they have learned,” she says.
When asked how she builds trust with the community, Teodora shared that it takes time, patience, and a human touch. “In the early years, I felt like nothing was working. But when you show respect to people, they start to relax and seek contact themselves. For example, we have a family whose child was born with six fingers in the middle of winter, and everyone around them advised them to abandon him to the institutions, but we supported them with home visits, consultations with a pediatrician, and rehabilitation, and in the end, this child is now a successful student. This inspires me because I know that this was a better home for him than being without parents. Or going down a different path.”
She emphasizes that in difficult moments, her team and colleagues help her the most. “Personal contacts and the exchange of professional experience give us the strength to continue, to find solutions, and to learn from each other.”
The REYN network was discovered by Teodora by chance on the internet while she was working on an early childhood development project. According to her, REYN provides information, training, and resources that enable monitoring of trends and best practices in the field. For Teodora, the most valuable thing is that the Network provides an opportunity to exchange experiences with colleagues and other institutions that share the same goal—supporting children and families.
When asked what advice she would give to young professionals, Teodora shares the wisdom of her professional experience: “A lot of patience. Roma people are interesting people, there is much to learn from their culture and traditions. They definitely have advantages in terms of family functioning, traditions, and morals. It is important to be open and humane. Ethnicity does not matter.”
With these words, she reminds us that social work is not just a profession, but a choice to be useful, to inspire trust, and to support change in people’s lives.
The interview is part of the “Voices of REYN” series, which presents stories from members of the Network.