MEET OUR TEAM
Ivan Minchev
Ivan has a BA in Business Administration from the International Business School in Sofia. He has worked for the Maranata Transport Group Ltd. as Export Manager since 2009. Ivan coordinates the Youth Work Network of the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance and is an ordained minister in the Friends Assembly of God. He is passionate about discipling young people in Christ. Ivan is one of the founders of Bulgaria Without Orphans and currently serves as Co-chair. Ivan is married to Teodora and together they have two adorable sons – Matia and Andrey.
Christina Stoimenova
Christina has worked with orphans and vulnerable children in Europe since 1998. She has been serving children without parental care in Bulgaria since 2004. Over the years, she has worked in government orphanages, private children’s homes, and as a foster parent. Christina is trained to lead parenting groups in vulnerable communities and is involved in other initiatives to facilitate the prevention of child abandonment. Her passion is for every child to live in a safe, loving home, and to experience the fullness of God’s love for them, while also being equipped for a healthy, full life as an adult. She is currently the Bulgaria Without Orphans’ co-chairperson.
Sarah Todorov
Sarah is a researcher and educator specialising in the care, education and inclusion of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Sarah has a PhD in Education from the University of Birmingham in the UK where she conducted a study on the experiences of foster parents of children with disabilities in Bulgaria. Since 2021, Sarah has been involved in the development of a community-based initiative to support the small number of foster families in the Varna region of Bulgaria. During the same year, Sarah became involved with Bulgaria Without Orphans where she continues to contribute her knowledge of research and practice in the care and education of children with special educational needs and disabilities to the work of the team. Sarah is passionate about communicating the importance of family-based care and giving a voice to individuals involved in the day-to-day care of children with additional needs in order to make improvements to both policy and practice in this field.
Kevin Luck
Kevin is the founder of Going Beyond Borders, a project which raises awareness of adoption and fostering as an answer to the global orphan crisis. With a focus on Central and Eastern Europe he travels widely, with a small team, encouraging collaboration between individuals, churches, government agencies and NGOs that are working with orphans and at-risk youth and their families. Kevin’s background in hospitality has always been about putting people first. He draws on this experience to put the best interest of the child at the centre of all he does. He also runs seminars bringing healing and restoration from past trauma, enabling people to experience freedom and live their life to its full potential. Kevin is a founding member of Bulgaria without Orphans.
Anne Luck
Anne is a qualified nursery nurse. She has worked in this capacity for many years, including serving on the care staff team in a residential school for children with special needs, a respite care centre for children with both learning and physical disabilities, and a children’s home for children with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. Since moving to Bulgaria in 2009 she has supported the work of Cedar Foundation and is one of their volunteer consultants. She has regularly been involved with a small group home for children with disabilities. Anne is a founder and board member of Bulgaria Without Orphans since it was registered in 2021.
Bojana Jdrakova
Bojana finished her law degree in Sofia University. She has worked as a legal adviser in a law firm for over ten years. Her best expertise is in Trade law, Civil law and procedures for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship and Immigration law. She has love for kids and teenagers and has organised many camps, activities and workshops. She is the founder of the non-profit Marius Foundation. Bojana works on a weekly basis with teenagers helping them know God and find their identity. She has always had a heart for children without parents or a home environment.
Maya Dineva
Maya has a Masters degree in Structural engineering and has worked as a structural designer since her graduation in 2014. She attends Friends Assembly of God in Sofia and is part of their leadership team. She is a natural leader whose gifts and talents greatly enrich the Bulgaria Without Orphans team. She has been willing to adopt a child for a long time and recently became an adoptive mother to a charming baby boy.
Nikolay Zlatev
Nikolay has been serving youth both as a volunteer and as a professional throughout his entire career. He had the pleasure to be amongst the people who applied and developed the program for youth units and the interim care of “SOS Children Villages” in Sofia. He started as an educator, and later went on as head of the youth units. In 2010 he joined the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion team, where he serves as their social work department manager, supporting young people during their first steps towards independence or in critical moments in their life. Nikolay has been on the Bulgaria Without Orphans board since its beginning, enriching it with his expertise and experience.