Tulovo, a small village in central Bulgaria, faces significant economic hardship, with limited job opportunities and a struggling education system. The population is nearly evenly divided between Roma and ethnic Bulgarians, yet interactions between the two communities remain minimal - but positive.

While the local school offers a poor standard of education, prompting many Bulgarian families to send their children elsewhere, One Collective is working to improve literacy, strengthen teacher-parent relationships and create a more supportive learning environment.

The only evangelical church serves the Roma community, while Bulgarians are mostly unaffiliated or nominally Orthodox. Encouragingly, recent connections with a small Bulgarian house church offer hope for increased collaboration.

One Collective’s ministry focuses on youth discipleship, education, and church engagement. Their community hub, The Gathering Place, hosts meetings and outreach initiatives, providing a space where teenagers can grow in faith and leadership. A developing youth worship band is nurturing creativity, while discipleship programmes equip Roma youth for service.

Efforts are underway to deepen partnerships with the Roma church, encouraging them to expand beyond weekly services and empowering local believers to step into leadership roles. As they build bridges between Roma and Bulgarian communities, through shared holiday celebrations and intentional outreach, many young people are passionately praying for reconciliation, seeing it as a vital step towards unity and transformation.