Background

According to the official data, reported by (RDVR Stara Zagora) only one-third of the citizens of the region has received new identity documents by the end of August 2000. Some of the people who had not had their documents replaced yet, were worried by completely objective factors: those were the ones with serious illnesses, the disabled, and the people with psychological and mental impairments. The Law did not make any provision for tax reliefs for people in an unequal social position. In spite of health and social problems of the project target group, the procedure of documents replacement was inevitable due to their vital importance when receiving pension, financial or medical aid. There was a serious need in society from a human point of view that used to escape the attention of local authorities and public institutions.

Practice

Preliminary Stage
1. 797 Stara Zagora citizens were found with the assistance of the local social services: disabled and sick people, people with psychic and mental diseases.
2. A partnership team was formed to manage, monitor and exercise control on the project. The team included representatives of: Open Society Club; Municipal Social Welfare Service; Regional Police Directorate s ID Papers Group; Municipality of Stara Zagora s Citizen Status Directorate. To promote the project, raise citizen awareness and provide transparency of project implementation, representatives of the local media were also included in the team.
3. Project staff were selected. Applicants were graded for their proven professional skills, experience and moral qualities.

Project Implementation
Stage I: During the first in-house visit, the person or his/hers relatives are given a polite letter informing them about the project, the funding organization and the organization implementing the project. A survey questionnaire is also attached to assess the needs and the problems of the people in the target group. The information collected will be very useful when developing the final report on the project, as well as for the development of new projects. A photographer assists the disabled person to prepare and takes a photo. A technical secretary fills out the application form and collects all documents that need to be attached. A specialized assistant, authorized by the Regional Police Directorate, checks the application form and certifies it.

Stage II: Having received the fee amount from the person or his relatives, the specialized assistant pays the fee at the Regional Police Directorate s finance office. A copy of the receipt is attached to the application and another one is filed in project archive. In cases when the person is a resident of another community, does not have a birth certificate etc., the necessary documents are provided with assistance on behalf of municipal and court authorities. The completed application forms are submitted to the Regional Police Directorate s ID Papers Group. If errors or omissions are found in an application from, another in-house visit follows until the full package of required documents is available.

Stage III: The specialized assistant makes a final in-house visit to give the diseased people their new ID papers. The IDs are placed in a holder, with the logos of the funding and implementing organizations on the cover. The citizen also gets a copy of the fee receipt. The assistant then collects the survey questionnaires.

Results

1. 600 disabled persons got their ID papers replaced within the legal timeframe.
2. People with limited abilities get equal treatment within the local community and have some of the social, healthcare or lifestyle problems solved.
3. The Open Society Club in Stara Zagora established its image and strengthened its partnership with NGOs, local authorities and regional representatives of national institutions.