A significant amount of waste was collected by volunteers who took part in a clean-up initiative at Galata Beach near Varna, organized by United Bulgarian Bank (UBB), part of KBC Group, and Mastercard. The initiative is the latest activity under the joint VODIM program, which aims to protect and preserve Bulgaria’s water resources.

Despite the rainy morning and gloomy weather on the last day of October, when the International Black Sea Day is also celebrated, volunteers remained committed to making the coastline near Varna cleaner and more welcoming. The dedicated team of volunteers from UBB, DZI, KBC Global Services and Mastercard worked diligently to clean Galata Beach, climbing more than 1,500 steps leading to the beach several times throughout the day.

"I would like to thank all volunteers, especially the youngest participants, who chose to spend their day off here, despite the unfavorable weather, helping to clean Galata Beach and the path leading to it. With today’s initiative, the long-term VODIM program for improving water resource quality, jointly implemented by UBB and Mastercard, has now reached Varna and the Black Sea coast. Just one year after its launch, the program has expanded to cover all key aspects of water and water resource conservation, setting a positive example for everyone who genuinely cares about clean water, biodiversity, and environmental protection," said Rositsa Hadjilarska, Regional Retail Banking Manager for the Northeastern Region at UBB.

The VODIM program was launched in mid-2025 with the construction of two entirely new public fountains and the restoration of another one, together with their adjacent wetland areas, in Vitosha Nature Park. At the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year, drinking water filtration dispensers were installed in five schools in Sofia, serving more than 4,500 students. Data from one academic year showed that students consumed more than 85,000 liters of filtered water from the systems. This corresponds to over 170,000 single-use half-liter plastic bottles, demonstrating that free access to drinking water at school can encourage both regular hydration and the use of reusable containers.

In 2026, the VODIM program further expanded its reach. Since the start of the new school year, an additional 5,500 students from some of the largest schools in Veliko Tarnovo, Pleven, Plovdiv, and Haskovo have gained access to clean drinking water through newly installed filtration dispensers. By the end of the year, three more public fountains in Vitosha Nature Park will be renovated, while a completely new fountain will be built in Belasitsa Nature Park. Volunteer clean-up campaigns have already taken place along the Kakach River in Sofia and the Yantra River in Veliko Tarnovo. With the clean-up of Galata Beach, Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline has now been added to the program’s water conservation efforts.

VODIM is a long-term initiative by UBB and Mastercard that brings together projects focused on the restoration and protection of natural water sources and ecosystems, improving access to filtered drinking water, and engaging communities through volunteering and education. In 2026, the program expanded its activities across multiple locations in Bulgaria, following the complete journey of water, from natural sources through rivers and the sea to access to filtered drinking water in local communities.