When there is a will, there is a way. This is demonstrated in what happened with 11 A class from Peyo Yavorov Foreign Languages High School in the town of Silistra and their teacher Kremena Radoeva. Thanks to their efforts, today 78 children in the region of Volta, Ghana, visit classes in brand new classrooms.

Everything began as American teacher Michael Pelehach arrived to the school and met with the students who believe they can change the world. He also met with their teachers whose mission is to bring up worthy citizens.

What brought Michael to Bulgaria and what was that he left in the hearts of the Bulgarian teens? There is more from Doroteya Decheva from Peyo Yavorov Foreign Languages High School.

„Michael Pelehach is an American volunteering teacher under the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program. When he came to the school he chose our class because he thought we were a most interesting group. During English classes he presented to us lessons about illiteracy in the world, about history and leadership. After that he showed to us his video sharing the idea for charity. For us he is a well-organized man who withholds his principles and has a goal in life that he has attained together with us.”

Why had Michael chosen Bulgaria?

„He was after a country that is little known to Americans. Many of them cannot locate Bulgaria on the map. Michael however has made it obvious to many that there're people with big hearts in Bulgaria and able to change the world”, Doroteya said.

In his blog Michael Pelehach writes the following about his choice of Bulgaria: “While it was a tough decision to make, I am incredibly excited to pursue this opportunity, as it combines my interests in travel, culture, education, and helping other people”. He has been inspired by his travels to various continents where his eyes opened for the hardships and deprivation experienced daily by many people in the world.

The American teacher and his Bulgarian students supported by their teachers, families and friends, set a target to raise 25,000 US dollars for 25 workdays (the minimum monthly salary in Bulgaria amounts to 211 US dollars). Fundraising would serve the construction of a school for children in Ghana. How did students respond to Michael's idea and were they convinced that it was realistic?

„At first, we were rather skeptical about the idea. No one believed we could raise 25,000 dollars for 25 days. But in the process we supported each other and gradually started to believe in the success of the effort”, Doroteya recalls.

They were fundraising through charity concerts and bazaars, donor accounts advertised on Bulgarian and American media and a promo video shot by the Bulgarian students in both English and Bulgarian. The campaign opened on 31 March 2015. As the deadline came the raised amount was 28,780 dollars. The campaigners decided that the surplus should go for improving the qualifications of African teachers. The people from Volta joined the initiative with volunteer work in building the brand new school. So today, owing to the efforts of the Bulgarian students from Silistra and their American volunteer teacher 78 Ghanaian kids from nursery and primary school no longer have their lessons under the shadow of a large tree protecting them from the scorching sun, but in a brand new building. It has a plaque with a message from the Silistra students reading: „With a dedication to the ordinary people who can lead to unusual change”.

„All of us in the class believe that this campaign has made us better persons. We have showed to the world that everything is possible provided one has the motivation and support of one's adherents”, Doroteya sums up the experience.

And as to criticisms that one should first sort out their own garden, and then help others, the girl replies:

„We believe that pessimists who are busy reproaching others all the time should be ignored. What matters is to do good and thus step by step help make the world a better place to live.”

English Daniela Konstantinova