Half of the world’s rose oil – important to the perfume industry – comes from one region of Bulgaria, known as the Rozova Dolina, the Valley of Roses. But life is no bed of roses for 10-year-old Galina, growing up in a village in this part of central Bulgaria. Her parents have been separated for a long time, her mother is illiterate, her older brother did not complete primary school and her sister has serious disabilities. As for many other Roma children, going to school used to be a formality for Galena, just so that her mother could receive child benefit from the state.

It was just last year that the little girl began to blossom when she joined Project Light, a church-based literacy programme supported by Blythswood Care and run by Mission Possible Bulgaria. At first, she had difficulty in pronunciation and comprehension. Now she is gaining fluency, can understand what she reads and can follow her lessons in school, where she is as a result getting much better marks.

Roumen Ivanov, director of Mission Possible Bulgaria, describes Galena as an alert and intelligent child. “But with no-one to encourage her at home, it was impossible for her to do her homework,” he says. “She has big dreams and a radiant smile and our team want to encourage her to fulfil her potential.”

Galena has re-joined the literacy class this autumn, and is receiving help with other school subjects with which she struggled.