One year ago, ЗаВръщане в България was just an idea— to make it easier for Bulgarians to move back home and to create a space for people who care about Bulgaria, see it's potential, and want to make an impact.
Our mission is to make the process of returning to Bulgaria easier for Bulgarians abroad and to inspire all Bulgarians to see the potential of the country, create meaningful things here, and contribute to society.
How we do it:
We're creating an online resource to simplify processes like administration, housing, schools, and more, helping returnees navigate life in Bulgaria more easily.
We're supporting active and engaged communities to develop across the country, empowering them to make a meaningful impact in their cities.
We're organizing opportunities for civic action, where people can openly discuss societal issues and work together to find solutions.
In 2024, we’ve had the privilege of meeting incredible people, building meaningful relationships, participating in inspiring events, and taking real steps toward making Bulgaria a more accessible and welcoming place for returnees - to have a community to meet with and do awesome things with together.
Looking back, we’ve spent a lot of time and energy on creating a strong foundation to build on. Every challenge taught us something new, and every success reminded us why we started this journey.
And we are beyond grateful to have this opportunity.
None of what we achieved in 2024 would have been possible without the incredible people we met, the brilliant people in our team who've volunteered their time and skills to help us develop and grow, and the people we've partnered with along the way.
2024 was our beginning. Here’s a few things we accomplished, and where we’re headed next.
🤝 Meeting Incredible People Across Bulgaria
One of the most rewarding parts of 2024 was meeting people across Bulgaria who are making an impact in their space and niche.
✅ Over 70+ meetings with businesses, organizations, and changemakers. ✅ Spoke to leaders in business, tech, culture, education, architecture, urban planning, non-profits, social entrepreneurship, and more. ✅ Learned about the unique challenges and opportunities in Bulgaria’s different sectors and how we can work together in the future.
🎯 Key connections made this year:
Колективът – Transforms public spaces with creative events like Реките на Града, fostering community connection and urban engagement.
Клуб “Смисъл” – Brings people together for meaningful conversations that inspire personal growth and societal change.
Тук-Там – Builds a global network for Bulgarians abroad with mentorship, career opportunities, and community events.
Bulgaria Wants You – Connects returnees with jobs in Bulgaria.
ДНК (Движение за Национална Каузa) – Promotes demographic growth and showcases Bulgaria as a great place for families.
Ела си у дома – Inspires returnees by highlighting job opportunities and creating a like-minded community.
Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (ИАБЧ) – Provides essential resources and cultural support to the Bulgarian diaspora.
Заедно в Час (Teach for Bulgaria) – Aim to give every child in Bulgaria a chance for quality education by training motivated teachers, working with schools, and building partnerships that bring proven practices into classrooms.
Founders Institute Bulgaria – Helps early-stage startups grow, driving innovation and entrepreneurship in Bulgaria.
Землевеж – Simplifies complex societal issues with data-driven insights to inspire informed action.
Breaking Grounds – Highlights Bulgaria’s tech success stories and promotes its growing startup ecosystem.
Timeheros – The largest volunteering platform in Bulgaria, connecting individuals with causes and initiatives in need of support. They help organizations and volunteers find meaningful ways to contribute to society.
Uspelite.bg – Shares inspiring stories of Bulgarians making a positive impact worldwide.
👉 Key Learning: Bulgaria is full of people doing meaningful work, and by bringing all of us together, the collaborative effort can have an impact.
📚 Laying the Groundwork for a Platform of Resources
One of our biggest long-term goals is to create a structured knowledge hub for returnees—a one-stop resource for everything from housing, schools & education, communities, and administration to opportunities for impact.
✅ Started mapping out the key challenges returnees face. ✅ Began concept for a digital platform to centralize this information. ✅ Building partnerships with experts in different fields to ensure information is correct. ✅ We are looking for copywriters and experts, let us know if you are interested in joining our team.
👉 Key Learning: People need clear, practical information to help them navigate the move back to Bulgaria. This will be a major focus in 2025.
🏙 Being Part of Реките на Града: Creating Meaningful Discussions around Bulgaria’s Cities and Citizens
One of the biggest highlights of the year was our collaboration with Колективът on Реките на Града—a series of urban events in Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Troyan, and Sofia. These festivals brought together thousands of people to explore how Bulgarian cities can evolve and grow.
What We Did:
🎤 Facilitated 30 discussions, workshops, and exhibitions on topics that mattered to returnees and local communities. Each discussion was proposed and led by locals from the respective cities, ensuring the themes reflected their unique challenges and priorities. 🎨 Launched our first art competition, engaging 40 artists, collecting over 100 submissions, and reaching more than 400 voters under the theme “The City Through Your Eyes.” 🫶 Collaborated with 15+ volunteers, who helped organize the events and supported us in building and activating communities.
💬 Key Discussions Included:
Why do people return to Bulgaria? Stories about their motivation and the impact they create here.
What makes a city feel like home? Discussions about the importance of community, culture, and quality of life.
Balancing cultural heritage with innovation: How can we preserve traditions while developing modern urban spaces?
Entrepreneurship and NGOs in Bulgaria: Opportunities for business and social initiatives in different cities.
Education and youth: How can we support students and teachers and improve the educational system?
The economic potential of regions: How can Veliko Tarnovo and other cities position themselves economically?
🌍 Each city’s event had its own character:
На Зелено Festival – Focused on sustainability and green urban spaces around the river Bedechka..
48 Часа Варуша Юг – Revitalized the Veliko Tarnovo’s historic district through art, culture, and community engagement.
Горе Долу Festival –Celebrated creativity and local culture with community-driven initiatives.
Реките на Града (Gabrovo) – Highlighted the river Yantra through interactive discussions, art installations, and events in collaboration with the local youth club.
Реките на София – Shined a light on the Perlovska river as a vital urban space, bringing together art, sustainability, music, and community.
👉 Key Learning: These events reinforced how impactful real-life conversations can be. Whether discussing returnee experiences, economic activity, education, cultural and architectural heritage, city development, or creative expression, we witnessed Bulgarians’ strong desire to engage, connect, and shape the future of their communities.
💡 Growing a Team of Volunteers
At the start of 2024, ЗаВръщане в България was just us—two sisters and a mom with a vision. Now, we’re a growing team of nine passionate people, each bringing something unique.
🎯 Our first volunteer, Zoritsa, helped us the first months building our first website and structure our mission. 🎨 Petya joined as our branding & creative strategy lead. 🎙 Lora stepped in as our podcast producer to bring more structure and storytelling to our episodes. 📖 Lachezar and Ariana helped build our online content and resources. 📅 Ekateryna and Radostina focused on event coordination and marketing.
👉 Key Learning: Having a dedicated team changes everything. With more hands, we can grow faster, think bigger, and create more impact.
🌍 Building a Community of Like-Minded People
Beyond our core team, one of our biggest wins has been the growth of the ЗаВръщане в България community.
✅ Hosted our first-ever community event, bringing together 25 like-minded people to share their stories at our official launch of ЗаВръщане в България on March 16th, 2024. ✅ Spoke at Тук-Там’s “US & UK Alumni” event, reaching even more returnees. ✅Attended Ела си у Дома first event in Sofia, Meet with Bulgaria Wants You, and invited to our first “work session” organized by the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad. ✅ Started seeing real engagement from Bulgarians abroad who are considering moving back.
👉 Key Learning: People are looking for spaces to connect. Whether they’ve already moved back or are just considering it, there’s a real demand for meaningful conversations and shared experiences.
🎙 Making Our Voice Heard on National Radio
This year, we had five opportunities to share our mission on national radio.
These interviews helped us reach new audiences across Bulgaria and abroad, bringing more visibility why Bulgarian’s abroad are moving back and the challenges and opportunities that come with it.
👉 Key Learning: People care about this topic. There’s a growing conversation around returning to Bulgaria, and we’re excited to keep it going.
🎧 Keeping the Back2Bulgaria Podcast Alive and Growing
Podcasting has been a core part of our mission—a space to share real stories of Bulgarians who have moved back and are making an impact.
✔ Published 7 episodes, covering topics from family and friends to career changes to social impact. ✔ Listeners tuned in from US, Canada, UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. ✔ Recorded our first episodes outside of Sofia, with more stories with people who live in Plovdiv and Varna. ✔ Recorded episodes in Bulgarian and English
Podcast Performance in 2024: 🎧 800+ total plays across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts. 📺 14.5K+ YouTube views. 👀 180K+ people saw our content on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, и Linkedin 🔥 Most watched episode: Why I Returned to Varna After Years in Munich (with Ivan Lyutskanov, creator of Zemlevesh).
👉 Key Learning: Podcasting takes a lot of work, but the demand is there. In 2025, we’re building a stronger production team and exploring funding opportunities to keep the podcast growing.
We are looking for editors and a social media lover to help us create and manage content. Let us know if you are interested in joining our team.
🚀 Looking Ahead: What’s Next for 2025?
As we move into the next year, we’re focusing on five key priorities:
❤️ More community events—connecting Bulgarians in and outside of Bulgaria. 🚀 Structured team growth—better-defined roles & volunteer engagement. 🎤 More podcast episodes—expanding our topics & featuring more returnee stories. 📚 Building out our online resource hub—a practical guides and resources for returnees. 💰 Exploring sustainable funding—finding sponsorships and grants to support long-term impact.
📢 2024 was about planting seeds. 2025 is about growth.
💡 Want to Be Part of the Journey?
What started as a vision between two sisters has become a growing team of nine, with an even larger community behind it.
There are many ways you can get involved and help us grow:
Volunteer with us and share your skills in events, marketing, content creation, or resource development.
Share your story as a returnee or someone involved in impactful initiatives in Bulgaria.
Partner with us—we are always looking for like-minded organizations and businesses that share our mission.
Support our podcast by sharing episodes, sponsoring, offering your location for recording, or providing content ideas.
🚀 If you want to contribute your skills, connect, or be part of this movement, let’s talk! You can get involved by filling out our form here: Get Involved.
💡 And if you know someone who should be part of this conversation—share this article with them!
If you got to this part of our blog, I'd like to thank you for reading what we've been up to in 2024, your support means a lot to everyone that's involved in making this organization happen, and let's meet for a coffee soon! Have a wonderful day.