The Roma are the most despised people in Europe. Every city in the Balkans has its own Roma ghetto, where members of this ethnic group live crammed together and often with poor prospects for the future.

For example in the Bulgarian city of Sliven. This is home to one of the largest Roma slums in Europe. Around 25,000 people live in a very small space, far below the minimum subsistence level. Sliven is also known as Europe's capital of teenage births. We get involved where poverty is greatest and bring hope where it threatens to die out.

During the cold winter months, around 500 children receive a warm, nutritious meal a day in one of our three soup kitchens. This allows us to connect with families and talk about things like hygiene and disease prevention.

In the summer, we organise camps to get the children out of the dirty and noisy ghetto for a few days. In a friendly environment and atmosphere, the children are encouraged through play, fun, Bible stories and prayer. They receive attention, affection and love and can be children again.

Sometimes we just go for a walk in the ghetto. The children are trusting and enjoy every change. We do a few simple clapping or string games. It's about giving the poorest people value and dignity and treating them as equals.