‘Garden of Wonders’ is a project of ‘St Nicholas the Miracle-Maker’ Foundation in Dobrich. It employs people with intellectual disabilities and aims at their socialization. In the enterprise they are active in real work environment where they do not feel isolated and left out. And the demand for their locally-grown organic vegetables and flowers is gradually increasing.
The community enterprise has its costs and revenues and faces real-life challenges just like regular businesses do – such as the scarcity of water for irrigation during the summer. The greenhouse needs more than 20 tons of water daily and its founders realized that the water from the shallow wells of Dobrich area has a high nitrate content, as well as domestic and industrial pollutants, which are then absorbed by the plants and enter the human body. Tap water on the other hand is quite expensive and is chlorinated, which is detrimental to most flowers and vegetables.
This is where the municipality of Dobrich comes. It has not only supported the enterprise by providing municipal land for its activities free of charge but it now also offered financial support and logistical assistance for the development of a deep clean-water borehole for the water supply of the greenhouse.
The founders of the ‘Garden of Wonders’ are now saving for thermal pumps to provide heating for their facility and offices.
Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fondationstnicolay/