by Emir Ahmed
- About the Organization
“Деси, къде си?” has two main objectives—to raise awareness about the severe consequences of food addiction and obesity, ideally instilling in young children habits that would prevent these conditions, and to shed light on the unique challenges being overweight poses. The organization is headed by Dessislava Hristozova and reaches its target audience in a number of different ways: through its official website, through its TikTok channel, with Desi’s book on obesity, and with visits to schools all over Bulgaria.
- About Desislava Hristozova
You may have seen her on the TV—she is one of the writers and an editor for the popular show “Отблизо с Мира Добрева”. There, she is responsible for seeking interesting stories about curious people and places from all over Bulgaria, and, if you have seen the show, it is likely that some of the stories you’ve heard were found by her. Her long career in the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) has given her an affinity for narrativizing her surrounding world—a quality she employs when she describes her experience as “a fat person”, as she confidently calls herself, in her book “Тихо, за това не се говори”. She further shares about the unique challenges of being obese on her TikTok channel, where her videos get thousands of views, and on the website of the organization, which she maintains.
Obesity has accompanied Desi’s life since her early childhood. She recalls being the only overweight child in her school. It was only until her adult years, however, that she realized how serious of an issue her condition was and how severely addicted she was to food. When she started working on the “Столетниците на България” project for the TV show, she interviewed many elderly people, including some of the oldest ones in Bulgaria. In an interview for BNT she says: “Do you know what they all had in common—they were all in great shape… because morbidly obese people die young.” It is a rather dark statement, but Desi believes that “the fat talk” should not be taboo and that food addiction and obesity should be recognized as diseases by everybody. Having personally experienced all the difficulties being obese adds to one’s life, Desi is determined to prevent the further spread of this, as she calls it, pandemic.
- Achievements to Date
- School visits: Desi has been a guest speaker in many schools in a few cities in Bulgaria. She shares her experience as an adult obese person, giving herself as a pad example of what happens when precautions are not taken in early childhood or adolescence. She also talks about bullying, explaining to young students that overweight children are often scared for the rest of their lives by the names they are called. Desi enjoys a lot of positive feedback—overweight children thank her for the advice, while bullies share that they never knew how hurtful their jokes were, promising they’d never make such comments again.
- TikTok channel: Desi’s TikTok content is mostly aimed at reviewing mountain routes and sharing to what extent they are suitable for overweight people. Desi’s videos get thousands of views and she regularly receives personal messages from overweight people thanking her for revealing the hidden toughness of life with obesity to a broader public.
- Official website: Here, the organization publishes articles about inspiring people who have managed to find their way out of obesity.
- “Тихо, за това не се говори”
- Future Plans
The organization seeks sponsorship for two future projects:
- more school visits in more regions across Bulgaria.
- adding and renewing markings in mountain routes in order to make hiking an inviting activity for everybody, including overweight people, who tend to be the most afraid of it.
- Societal Impact
As its achievements show, the organization already has a significant impact on society. To sum up (it is important to note that the evidence for the following points is mostly anecdotal):
- people have more widely started viewing obesity as an actual serious medical condition
- overweight children are more motivated to pursue a healthier lifestyle
- children are more aware about the way bullying affects their overweight peers
- obese people are less afraid to go out and do some hiking
However, whether Desi’s main goal—to mitigate the reach of the obesity pandemic—is achieved, will become apparent in the years to come.
