In October 2024, 721 children aged 3 to 18 from 85 Bulgarian localities and 2 children from the Bulgarian school in The Hague, created 672 works together to ask - #WhatYouDo.

We thought the air was only heavy with us, the heavy smell of gas in Burgas. It turned out that almost everywhere in Bulgaria there is someone poisoning children and they know it because they breathe more than us.

It is interesting that children know the names of companies in heavy industry, which are the biggest air polluters in Bulgaria. There are even children as young as 4 who have written letters on the chimneys of factories, realising where the pollution comes from. A fact that seems to be unknown to the state institutions charged with the difficult task of controlling and ensuring good air quality in Bulgaria. Because they don't? Why do they not close down plants that are systematic violators and have been called an unknown source for years? Why do the responsible institutions and ministries literally sleep at night when entire cities are being gassed?

How often do we need air?

• We adults take in up to 21.000 times of air per day.
• A newborn, however, takes in air up to 86.000 times a day.
• When it becomes 1 year old, a child takes a breath up to 74.000 times a day.
• A 2-year-old child takes in up to 57.000 breaths per day.
• A 4-year-old child takes up to 43.000 breaths per day.
• A 15-year-old child takes up to 28.000 breaths per day. Simple facts that every parent should know, because with our choices we serve them air constantly.

We most formally invite you to the World's Largest Virtual Exhibition of Children's Drawings - #WhatYouDo, a candidate for Guinness World Records.

Unfortunately, the media in Bulgaria, as well as administrative structures such as the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Education, the President, mayors and regional governments have not shown interest in the topic, except for the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Government, for which we are grateful. We also thank Dishay Dimitrovgrad for sharing our campaign. The issue is difficult, unpopular, and the secret poisoning of Bulgaria's children continues unabated.

For this we ask for your support and to share our cause. You don't have to donate money, just watch the exhibition, share it with everyone you can, follow us, like it. We need funds to promote the exhibition on YouTube so that this campaign can reach as many people as possible in Bulgaria and abroad. Our foundation has not accepted any donations until now, we do not receive any EU, government or similar funds. We don't want to accept. Charity should be charitable, to give the most precious thing in this world your time. We fund everything with our personal funds, and build each campaign with our own efforts, creative work in our spare time and ask for your support.

Admission to the exhibition is free, accessible 24 hours from any corner of the world. The exhibition is a wonderful example of peaceful and constructive civic engagement by young children, parents and teachers, civic education in action.

Here are the links for the exhibition:

Full version 2 hours and 50 min

https://youtu.be/ffxmo1M4hXI?si=OiieIHxA8weWRLuL

Short version in English 20 minutes

https://youtu.be/7c8vbuybAPE?si=2gIez6n5HJf6HYXJ

Short version in English 20 minutes

https://youtu.be/mwxO5w5QHck?si=Y1J5y0eZnrqAcLxT

Bulgaria has the lowest life expectancy in the EU and also the most polluted air. We will not find America if we link these two facts.

Children have very simple solutions, look them up. Send them to give us ideas on how to make the air cleaner for all of us. The only air available to breathe.

One thing is clear: Life for us without air is impossible. It's a simple fact that seems to be absolutely forgotten.

Much more important than what we drink, what we eat, what we look like, what car we drive, how many followers we have on Instagram, who is in power, where we live, how much money we make. But apparently the world, or rather the Bulgarians, have the wrong priorities.

If the food we are served is spoiled, we will hardly eat it. Most likely we will return it or throw it away. It is the same with almost everything we consume. It's just not the case with air. There we have no choice whether to breathe or not if we want to survive.

Let us serve clean air to our children.

Each of us has a certain power called personal responsibility, let every Bulgarian use it. We hope this exhibition will touch many people positively. Let us understand as a nation that to love our children, to love our country, means to protect them. Let us try to be better people, more cooperative, more respectful. To protect and preserve Bulgaria and nature for our children.

Thank you in advance for your support! We wish you Happy Holidays and good health to you and your families! For a cleaner and better Bulgaria for all of us!

Sincerely,

Ivelina Livingston

Open Chas Foundation

otvorenchas.org