As the famous proverb goes, to learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world. Apart from that, mastering a new language is of paramount importance for the overall wellbeing of people who for one reason or another have moved to a new country. In the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the millions displaced people, intensive foreign language education is one of the most effective instruments for their timely integration in the host country.

22 August 2022 is the start date of the Bulgarian language training for people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. The training is organised by IOM Bulgaria under the "Emergency response for people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine" project, financed by the Migrant and Refugee Fund (MRF) of the Development Bank of the Council of Europe (CEB).

The specialised courses in Bulgarian are conducted according to programs and study materials specially prepared for the study of Bulgarian as a foreign language. The courses are taught by qualified teachers of the Bulgarian language who have solid previous experience in teaching third country nationals.

The main goal of the training is to improve the Bulgarian language skills of people fleeing the war in Ukraine and thus to support their social inclusion and ensure equal opportunities in accessing the labor market, with the overall aim being to increase the general employment of the target group .

The online training uses the ZOOM platform, with the number of participants limited to 15 people in a group, the goal being individual attention and focus on each beneficiary. The entire course consists of 120 study hours.

At the moment, 45 people have already signed up for the training. At the end of the course, the trainees will take a final exam and acquire a certificate for completing the Bulgarian language course.