CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THIS FILM

Initially after the UK screening the Bulgarian government claimed the BBC had gone in with secret cameras, exaggerated and lied about the conditions inside the institute, and claimed that we had specifically chosen the worst place to film in order to humiliate and shame the Bulgarian government.

Ministers gave interviews on the radio and television stating that the images within the documentary were not representative and the film should be banned from all television networks.

The newspapers in Bulgaria picked up on the UK screening and images from the film covered the front pages of most of the daily newspapers. Journalists swarmed into Mogilino asking questions to the Director and staff of the institute - taking additional photos of the children. The Bulgaria media were onto the story - trying to investigate the findings of the film and to tell the people of Bulgaria whether all this negative news about the institutionslisation of the disabled children in Bulgaria was true or not. Photos of Kate appeared on front pages - taken from the True Vision website - with headlines saying '' BBC Exposes Concentration Camp conditions in our institutes''.

Since the screenings on BBC4 and BBC2 thousands and thousands of emails have come into True Vision and to Kate Blewett. These emails have been filled with viewers emotions resulting from seeing the film - heartbroken that children can lead such lives from birth to death, emails about anger and the real and determined want to do something to make a difference to the children's lives.

We formed a Trust called ''Bulgaria's Abandoned Children's Trust'' www.tbact.org from a group of viewers with varying professional skills. This Trust, BACT - has since become the centre of all global communications relating to the film, and raised over £200,000 from viewers' donations alone.

Petitions were set up on the internet across the UK and Bulgaria. Many individual blogs were established to discuss the problems in the institutes including groups within Bulgaria made up of teams of people wanting to help the children. Several NGO's united online to try and work out the best way to keep the focus on the problem. A group of Bulgarian women formed an NGO and protested outside the Bulgarian parliament demanding those in charge of the institutes to come out and speak to them, the media and the world.

Grazia Magazine did an 8 page Christmas Special - interviewing Kate and donating many fashion accessories from designer labels to raise money through it's readers. £15,000 was donated from readers and a further article followed a few weeks later to update the readers as the response to the article was so huge for the magazine. Just recently Grazia has been in touch again asking if they can go into Bulgaria, to the institutes with BACT to do yet another update to line up with the anniversary of the first screening in September.

The film was loaded onto YouTube by a viewer within hours of TX, and so then seen by thousands more in different parts of the world. This led to further organisations/trusts/groups being set up and a whole army of fundraisers raising money to get the children out of the institutes and into smaller group homes.

The Bulgarian government asked UNICEF to be responsible for improving conditions at Mogilino. The children all received individual assessments of their physical and mental well being. The results showed that one third of Mogilino were suffering from malnutrition and dehydration - with some being immediately hospitalised and others receiving nutrient packs with money raised from viewers. Two of the children required immediate operations and remained hospitalised for several weeks.

An "Early Intervention Programme" was highlighted as essential for accessing the source of the problem - at the hospitals where doctors and midwives should actively encourage new parents to keep their disabled child rather than to allow abandonment. An NGO ''For Our Children'' had already done work in this area - BACT was able to support this with money donated from viewers of the film, so this programme of change at source has now begun.

The film was then shown on Bulgarian television Balkan News Corp. It once again caused mayhem and public outcry. The people of Bulgaria were distressed by the images within the film and the media returned to Mogilino to check out what had improved since the initial screening. Once again, Mogilino hit the front pages of the Bulgarian newspapers and the public were horrified to learn about the conditions inside their institutes. Further blogs, petitions, chat rooms and letters to the government filled the internet. A television channel set up a big celebrity filled ''singing competition and show'' together with a mobile phone company - encouraging viewers to phone in with their vote for the winning song - and donated the takings to UNICEF for a Small Group Home to be built for some of the young people at Mogilino. This show made Mogilino a household name across Bulgaria - using images from Bulgaria's Abandoned Children as a constant reminder of what the purpose of the show was and the need for viewers to contribute.

This show - using images of the film BAC - raised nearly 1 million euros, and focussed the entire country on the need for changing the institutes. It also taught parents that the way forwards was to look after their disabled children with the support of Day Care Centres.

The Bulgarian government was inundated with outrage and pressure - so once again returned to the radio and television to carry out interviews to defend their position saying it was all exaggerated and it was a plot to humiliate Bulgaria because we in the UK did not want their immigrants in our country.

BACT were able to develop their relationship with UNICEF and held meetings with UNICEF and others to establish how best to spend the money that has been donated. Mogilino is to close and the children need to be rehoused. Projects are starting that include building Small Group Homes, that include following all the children from Mogilino to their new allocated homes to ensure they are safe, healthy and being looked after properly. A BABA scheme will develop which is the mentoring of grandparent aged women to spend time with the children in institutes on a one-to-one to give them input, care, stimulation and activities to help them develop. This programme will be put in place for all children leaving Mogilino. The ripple effect is expected to follow so that all other children living around the Mogilino placements will also receive BABA's to help care for them.

The local and international media have constantly followed the events unfolding around the inmates of Mogilino and other institutes for the disabled. A French film crew entered other institutes to try and gather further evidence - as too have a Russian and German crew.

BAC was sold to Belgium (VRT) and when it hit their screens the response was immediate and huge - an entire team of Belgium Ministers and a well known television presenter (moved to tears and now committed to fighting for the children) left to visit the Bulgarian government demanding access to Mogilino and to other institutes. The press followed them all and the outcome of the trip was reported in by every newspaper in Bulgaria. The Belgium people donated money totalling to around 250,000 Euro's and a donation was put aside by the Belgium government of anything up to 2 million Euro's to be used on the institutes. This money was to be drip fed into Bulgaria to ensure it was not lost into the system. Since that first trip a further visit took place with Belgium Ministers once again and talks have followed with plans to deinstitutionalise Bulgaria.

BAC was sold to the Netherlands (NCRV) - and a further outcry followed. A television network came to the UK and interviewed Kate and then put out a one hour programme based on using some images from the film, together with Kate's interview and had very high viewer ratings for the programme - with further monies being raised to help the children. A group of Dutch viewers, keen to be productive in making a difference then teamed up with the Belgium Presenter and his new Trust and raised further money.

The pattern repeated itself in each country it was screened in - Italy (Creative Networks), Denmark (DR), Sweden (TV4), Canada (TV Ontario), Middle East (A; Jazeera), Finland ((YLE), Australia (SBS), Japan (International Holon), New Zealand (Doc Channel) - with thousands of emails flooding into the Trust, with new Trusts forming, with fundraising happening on all levels and with the media writing large and effective articles on the situation in Bulgaria.

BACT and Kate went to the European Parliament to show the film to a packed room of MEP's, MP's, international journalists, NGO's and those with an interest in bringing about the much needed change - to highlight the need for deinstitutionalisation in Bulgaria. A panel of experts sat before those attending the EU session - to take and answer questions. The session was reported across Bulgaria and the Bulgarian government critisiced the event saying it was simply set up to humiliate. However, many Bulgarian people and NGO's supported the film and the session publicly saying the film was doing a much needed job that had previously remained buried and hidden for many, many years. A standing ovation was given to the film at the end of the European Parliament session.

The film BAC has achieved press and media coverage across the world on an unbelievable scale - bringing awareness on a level we never thought possible through one programme.

The Bulgarian government has been put under enormous pressure as a result and announced their own greater financial support of the institutes whilst they exist. The bigger plan (now in action) is to carry out a programme of deinstitutionalisation across the country - with the help of other experts from other countries who have offered their full support following the film. Monies donated from all the global viewers and governments are being carefully monitored to ensure the mentally and physically disabled children of Bulgaria are no longer warehoused from birth till death.