Bulgarian Refugee Center Head:We Save Asylum Seekers from Homelessness

An interview with Colonel Pepi Dzhurenov, the person is in charge of the refugee center in Sofia's district of Voenna Rampa, a unit of Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees.

- Tell us more about the refugee center in Voenna Rampa, what nationalities have been accommodated here?

This is a center for temporary accommodation of people seeking international asylum protection. The center mostly accommodates Syrians and Syrian-born Kurds. Currently, the refugee center is experiencing great difficulties; these are probably the most difficult days of our existence, due to a major overhaul. The building was meant to be a school, not a dormitory, which creates substantial difficulties for the everyday life of the people.

- What are your most urgent needs?

The most pressing needs is for sanitary facilities. We have freed up half of the building, the three-storey building, and all of the people have been crammed into the four-storey building, as a result of which 200 people are using one shower.

- How many people have been accommodated here?

The refugee center provided shelter for 850 people at its peak moment, now they are 620.

- How many showers do you have?

- On a total of 4 floors, there are 12 showers. Toilets have been converted into bathrooms, with showers installed. We delivered 16 chemical toilets thanks to the assistance of the State Agency for Refugees, as well as a wagon-bathroom with six showers, which made life much easier for the people living here.

- How about food, are refugees preparing their meals or do you have them delivered?

The food supply is...