Purchase of a Computer With a Specialized Software for the “August Mozer Centre” for Children Suffering of Nervous System Disturbances in Varna, Bulgaria

Project location: Bulgaria, Varna
Project start date: December 2010 - Project end date: December 2010
Project number: 2010-51
Beneficiary: Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Bulgaria

Following its historic mission to help the sick, the needy and the most disadvantaged in society, the Order of Malta continues its work today, operating in more than 120 countries. Its programmes include medical and social assistance, disaster relief in the case of armed conflicts and natural catastrophes, emergency services and first aid corps, help for the elderly, the handicapped and children in need and the provision of first aid training, and support for refugees and internally displaced persons regardless of race, origin or religion. The Order of Malta has been operating with this impartial perspective for over 900 years, caring for people of all beliefs - muslim, orthodox, catholic, protestant, jewish. The Order relies on the involvement of its 12,500 members, as well as approximately 80,000 trained volunteers and 20,000 employees, the majority of whom are medical personnel. The Order's organisations worldwide (Grand Priories, National Associations, relief organisations and foundations) are responsible for carrying out its activities, both in its the permanent institutions - such as hospitals, outpatient medical centres and old peoples' homes - and with its socio-medical and humanitarian programmes.
The "August Mozer" is registered as a non-profit Association and has its own place to organize meetings and consultancies.
In 2008 the Association was registered as non-profit entity and in 2009 the Association was registered with the agency for social support. At this date, the Association holds licenses for the providing of social services for public canteen, protected home, centre for temporary accommodation for elderly people, home for elderly people and day centre for elderly people. The Association conducts its activities in premises provided by the church, which meets the requirements for the providing of social services to children and their families.

In 2007, the Catholic Church Holy Archangel Michael in Varna, Bulgaria, opened a Centre for psychological support to children and families at risk, where everyone could receive a professional assistance free of charge. The team of specialists of Father Jacek Wójcik, which works in diverse areas, has been giving voluntary response to people in need for 3 years.
This organization is the first of its kind that built a centre where to apply the EEG-Biofeedback, also called neurotherapy, a type of alternative medicine that uses real time displays of electroencephalography to illustrate brain activity, with a goal of controlling central nervous system activity. The positive result of this method applied to children suffering of hyperactivity, dyslexia and dysgraphia and autism disturbances, is that such children are more successful in the overcoming of their educational difficulties and are successfully integrated in the mass schools.
The initiative is further oriented to the community in general: to make them aware of the difficulties which children with specific needs face, and to provide knowledge about psychiatric conditions with the intention to promote a more tolerant attitude and to overcome the social isolation of such children.
The positive results of this neuro-training method and the interest towards it, did not remain hidden and the mass media of Varna made releases on the activities of the team. As a result of the campaign and the large interest to use this new technology, a waiting list for consulting and therapy was made. Families who have sought help in the Centre wish to come back for more frequent visits and to use the Biofeedback therapy.
This situation lead to the need to contract and build a new space at the church building, where children and their parents could be accepted, since the existing one did not have sufficient potential to meet a large number of visitors. Since January, this plan has been materialized and the church allotted a concrete room to the association, to host the work with individuals of special needs and their families.

The Association August Mozer needed financial support to buy  technical equipment for the EEG-Biofeedback therapy. The Nando Peretti Foundation has awarded a grant for this project. Neuro-training is a method of therapy conducted with specialized computer equipment. This training is fully harmless and is applied for children from the age of 3. This specialized computer software functions on the basis of electro-encephalographic recording. Two computers working in parallel are needed for the therapeutic séances. The trainer can motivate the player to achieve better results by analyzing their brain activity and brain processes.

This equipment would provide many people with an opportunity to enhance their skills, to be more self-efficient and to lead a fulfilling social life. It will be also used as an accompanying therapy in the treatment of many neurological, psycho-emotional and psychiatric conditions.

The estimated number of patients, which are expected visiting the centre for one year, is between 1000 and 2000 persons, who make between 3000 and 5000 visitors for three years.