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Dear readers, in these difficult days, however, you can always find a dose of happiness that is found in your villages, cities, and why not homes. Today's article is about what it is like to be an educational mediator during a state of emergency.

Some people downplay their work, others do not understand it and others do not appreciate it, but today in almost every city in Bulgaria there are educational mediators appointed to schools and kindergartens, with their total number exceeding 1000. As of Friday, 13 On March 1, a one-month state of emergency was introduced in Bulgaria, which could be extended, and since March 16, 90% of schools in the country have started distance education. Before the declaration of the state of emergency, educational mediators carried out many activities in educational institutions, such as facilitating the coverage and retention of children in kindergarten and pupils subject to compulsory schooling; they assisted in communication and interaction between all units of educational institutions and children and students, families and the local community, but since March 16, the work of the educational mediator has taken on a different nature.

Currently, 28 educational mediators are working at Amalipe CMEDT, who inform us daily about their fieldwork. As we work remotely and worry about the epidemiological situation, educational mediators do their best to be of value to society. The educational mediator changed his approach to work, but not his goal of being the bridge between the educational institution, parents and students. Today our fellow educational mediators sew protective masks, distribute them to the most vulnerable (adults and people with lung problems) in the settlements in which they work, take care of the elderly, shop for food and take them to their homes, track them how children deal with distance learning are looking for possible ways to reach children who do not have the necessary equipment or tools by helping teachers disseminate homework or educational materials. They keep in touch with parents, about their children's education, how they handle it, what problems they encounter with distance learning.

Each educational mediator at the Amalipe Center has set up a Facebook group that includes many concerned parents to get accurate and accurate information about their preventative measures, their children's distance education, and anything else they are interested in. We invite you, if there is an educational mediator in your locality, to contact him and join the already established Facebook groups, so you will also be able to be informed about your child's environment and education.

How are educational mediators for the benefit of society?

Desislava Zhelyazkova, from Sredets, shares that at the Community Development Center she and her teachers distributed educational materials to children who do not have internet and cannot study remotely due to lack of equipment and computers.

At the Hristo Botev United School in the village of Banitsa, Vratsa District, teaching materials were prepared and distributed for each subject to students from grades 1 to 10, placed in folders with the names of the students. Educational mediator Larisa Antonova visited 22 children who do not have internet access in the surrounding villages of Mramoren, Ohoden, Golyamo Peshtene, as the school is central. The teacher from the Central School for Pedagogical Sciences Pelana Georgieva visited 27 students from the village of Banitsa, giving the necessary materials. Thus, within one day on March 16, 2020, all the students were able to receive study materials, tests and exercises prepared by the teachers in the village of Banitsa in the separate subjects. A total of 49 students were supported and parents were given clarifications on what is required and how to teach the children in the subject. This is, of course, done following the rules and measures imposed to prevent infection. The fieldwork is done with a mask, gloves, disinfectant.

S. Batak, Pavlikeni Municipality - Educational mediators Stefan Stefanov and Nikola Georgiev met with community representatives to inform the COVID-19 virus. Together with the mayor of the village of Batak Mr. Zenko Marinov developed information boards with materials that show ways of protection and adequate actions in communication. The boards were placed in prominent places, one in the neighborhood. This campaign aims to make people aware of the seriousness of the virus and to be more responsible for their health and that of others. At the same time, it aims to get community feedback to respond appropriately when a problem arises. The call for people was to stay home.

Aunt Dochka, as everyone in Antonovo knows, who was a foreman in a sewing factory and mayor of the village of Moravitsa,  began to sew protective masks, which Severin first gave to the quarantined people and then to the other citizens, and Severin, who is an educational mediator, also cares for the elderly, buying food for them and bringing them to their homes instead. Due to the activity of the educational mediators in the town of Antonovo, the disinfection of all the streets in the city has already started, and they also follow up with our newly returned compatriots and invite them to observe the quarantine period of 14 days.

Atanas Atanasov