 Sofia, June 25, 2008 - All eight awarded projects in the Bulgaria Development Marketplace (BG DM) competition have been implemented successfully and have demonstrated results beyond their objectives. This is the main conclusion in the independent consultant monitoring report presented at a workshop in Sofia yesterday.
The event gathered once again all winners, partners, representatives from the Government, private sector and civil society to celebrate the successful completion of BG DM. It was launched in early 2007 by the World Bank in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science, business community and civil society.
As a result of this close collaboration and commitment of the private sector partners two additional awards have been established by UniCredit Bulbank and Credo Bonum Foundation. Thus the reward pool amounted to USD 160,000. 215 project proposals from NGOs and civil society organizations all over the country were submitted and evaluated, of which 15 proposals were shortlisted. At the final evaluation the proposed ideas were presented by the respective candidates before a special jury. Consequently, the jury chose 8 winning projects. 6 of the projects were funded by the World Bank and 2 projects by UniCredit Bulbank and Credo Bonum Foundation.
According to Georgi Bogdanov, the independent consultant who evaluated the awarded projects, “all projects have achieved their goals, and some of them went beyond the expected results. All participants stated that the most successful and valuable activities of the project were the practical workshops and the interaction with the private sector. The opportunity for practical training was really useful to the young people. According to business representatives, these activities were an “investment in the future work force.”
The World Bank Country Manager for Bulgaria Florian Fichtl said: “I trust the experience gained in the implementation of these projects offers useful lessons for all. Certainly, the enthusiasm and commitment encountered -- not the least among the youth themselves -- are a promising source of strength and support to policy makers and education practitioners who promote much needed reforms. I hope the partnership between the private sector, civil society and the Ministry of Education and Science will continue to thrive and help achieve better education outcomes for Bulgaria’s youth.”
The Consultant's Report could be found here
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