Bulgaria Support

The Bulgaria Fund

In the heart of Bulgaria’s overlooked communities, a small but deeply rooted Muslim population continues to face profound hardship. From remote villages in the Rhodope Mountains to marginalised neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Sofia, many families struggle with food insecurity, harsh winters, and places of worship in urgent need of repair.

Alianah’s Bulgaria Fund exists to stand with these communities - quietly, consistently, and with dignity. Your support helps meet urgent needs today while strengthening communities for the future.

How Your Support Helps

Food & Nutrition

Many families live day to day without reliable access to food. Your donations provide monthly grocery packs containing essentials such as flour, grains, cooking oil, and canned goods—ensuring that no household is left hungry.

Winter Heating & Shelter

Bulgaria’s winters are long and unforgiving. We provide firewood, coal, insulation materials, and basic home repairs, helping families stay warm and protected during the coldest months.

Masjid & Community Centre Restoration

Mosques are not only places of prayer, but the heart of community life. We support the restoration and renovation of masjids and community halls, creating safe, dignified spaces for worship, education, and social support.

Additional Community Support

Where needs arise, the Bulgaria Fund also enables:

• Medical outreach and basic healthcare support

• Youth education and community programmes

• Assistance for people living with disabilities

• Emergency relief during floods, storms, or extreme weather

Why Support the Bulgaria Fund?

Flexible: Funds are allocated where the need is greatest, responding quickly to changing conditions.

Local: We work closely with trusted community partners across Bulgaria to ensure transparency, accountability, and real impact.

Lasting: Every project is designed to build resilience - providing relief today while supporting long-term stability and self-sufficiency.

A Community With Deep Roots

Muslims have been part of Bulgaria’s social fabric since the late 14th century, following the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into the Balkans. Over centuries, Turkish, Pomak (Slavic Muslim), and Roma Muslim communities established mosques, madrasas, and vibrant towns that shaped the cultural landscape of the region.

After Bulgaria’s independence in 1878, these communities experienced periods of tolerance alongside growing pressure to assimilate. Under communist rule (1946–1989), religious practice was heavily restricted, Muslim names were forcibly changed during the “Revival Process,” and hundreds of thousands were driven into exile in 1989. The effects—disrupted education, economic hardship, and fractured families—are still felt today.

Although religious freedoms have improved since democracy returned, many Muslim families remain in regions affected by depopulation, underinvestment, and limited access to services.

Why Poverty Remains Entrenched

• High national poverty levels: Bulgaria has one of the highest poverty rates in the European Union.

• Rural marginalisation: Many Muslim communities live in isolated regions with weak infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

• Economic transition challenges: The collapse of state industries led to widespread job losses, particularly in farming and manufacturing.

• Youth migration: Young people often leave in search of work abroad, weakening local economies and community continuity.

• Lasting impact of repression: Decades of forced assimilation and property confiscation left communities without the assets needed to recover.

Stand With Bulgaria’s Muslim Communities

By supporting the Bulgaria Fund, your Zakat, Sadaqah, or Lillah reaches families facing hardship that often goes unseen - providing food, warmth, restored places of worship, and emergency relief when it is most needed.

Together, we can bring dignity, stability, and hope to Bulgaria’s most vulnerable Muslim communities.