Street Mercy - Irina's Story

At first glance, Irina Vassileva looks typically homeless - untidy hair and old clothes she has not been able to wash - but then you spot the lipstick and earrings; symbols of feminine beauty that hint at the well-kept woman she once was.

"It's very difficult living on the streets. I think there is a stink coming from me but I have no place to take a bath or wash my clothes. Winter it is very difficult to wash anywhere as the temperatures are below zero, even at noon. My hands and feet freeze because I do not have suitable clothing or shoes to withstand the cold and damp."

Irina walks the streets all day long digging through rubbish bins, to find scraps to eat and discarded clothes to wear. Frostbite is an ongoing problem. Irina has created a home of sorts in an an abandoned basement on the outskirts of the city. She piles old clothes collected from rubbish bins to give her a sense that she will be warm enough in the cold weather. Whilst she is happy to have a place to sleep, she worries that other people will steal her things or attack her which has happened several times.

In the last two years Irina has been supported by MWB's Street Mercy project in Sofia, where she receives a hot meal each day and has friends that support her. "This project is of great help to me. I may say that I am still alive thanks to it."

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