Bulgaria's 2012 Christmas Charity Raises BGN 1.5 M

The "Bulgarian Christmas" charity, which was launched for the tenth time at the beginning of December, has collected a total of BGN 1.5 M so far.

The charity campaign saw its culmination on Tuesday, with a special concert staged in front of the National Theater in downtown Sofia.

This year's "Bulgarian Christmas" will continue until January 1.

Short text messages and phone calls to number 1117 for all three mobile operators in Bulgaria at the cost of EUR 0.5, as well as donations made to the bank account opened for the initiative will contribute to the amount collected.

The charity collects funds each year to pay for the treatment of sick children abroad and for purchasing medical equipment for children hospitals and clinics.

For the first time this year the campaign will focus primarily on children with neurological diseases. The choice was made after it emerged that most of the applications submitted for 2011 were related to the treatment of children with such problems.