Landmark buildings and public spaces across Bulgaria will be illuminated in purple in support of premature babies and their families. The initiative is organized by the Our Premature Children Foundation and the Association of Communications Specialists in Municipalities and is part of the autumn national campaign “Together for Premature Babies”.
Among the sites taking part are Sofia Municipality, the “Boris Hristov” House of Culture in Plovdiv and Tsarevets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo. In Shumen, the “Vasil Drumev” Drama and Puppet Theatre and the “Founders of the Bulgarian State” Memorial Complex will be illuminated. The initiative also includes the Clock Tower in Gabrovo, the palace of Romanian Queen Marie in Balchik, the Pantheon of the National Revival Heroes in Ruse and the Lovech Medieval Fortress.
In Bulgaria, nearly 10% of children are born prematurely every year. The campaign highlights the right to quality and timely medical care, the opportunity for parents to stay close to their baby and the support families need after discharge.
“Premature birth is often only the beginning of a long journey for the entire family. The first days in neonatal care may be followed by months of monitoring, therapies and additional care,” said Monika Zlatanova of the Our Premature Children Foundation. According to her, the initiative aims to help more people see this side of premature birth and make parents feel that they are not going through all of this alone.
ASCO Deputy Chair Elena Stoycheva said that illuminated municipal buildings, theatres and clock towers could spark interest in the issue. “This is where the conversation about premature babies and the journey their families go through begins,” she commented.
From 2026, World Prematurity Day will be observed on November 15 instead of the traditional date of November 17. The World Health Organization has included the day in its official calendar so that the issue can gain clearer international visibility.
This is the foundation’s and ASCO’s second joint initiative. During the first one, held in May, 20 Bulgarian municipalities illuminated landmark sites in support of premature babies and their families. In 2025, the Our Premature Children Foundation supported more than 3,500 prematurely born babies.