Ukraine: single mothers are often left on their own - Photo: Peter Lydén
"Unemployment and alcohol are the main problems and it is often the fathers that lead families into such a hopeless situation", says Anna, who works full-time for an SOS family strengthening programme in Ukraine. She and her colleagues unremittingly visit the families to ensure that they are coping and that they are caring for their children well. The most important thing is that the children can all go to school regularly.
Azerbaijan: Firuza lives with her four children in a poor area of Baku
Photo: Katerina Ilievska
Firuza is one of the estimated 186,000 refugees who live in the capital Baku. They are victims of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Firuza was lucky to escape safely with her husband and children, but then one day her husband threw Firuza and their children out of their home because of another woman. She ended up living in the middle of an area of high-rise flats in a hovel with walls that had originally been used by workers to store their tools whilst the housing was built. In February 2007, Firuza was accepted onto one of SOS Children's Villages' family strengthening programmes. "We establish the commitments that both sides agree to make, we work together on a family development plan and then we work together to put this into action", explains Turan, a social worker. A year later, things are already looking considerably better for Firuza and her four children.
Georgia: Maria lives in cramped conditions with her two grandchildren
Photo: Katerina Ilievska
A family tragedy has meant that 71-year-old Maria has to look after her two grandchildren. Her home is a one bedroom flat on the fifth floor of a derelict block of flats in the capital Tbilisi. Maria is often at the end of her tether as she walks up and down the flights of stairs in the building. It takes her half an hour to walk in one direction. The future of the two boys is the most important thing to her, so she gives everything to them. SOS Children's Villages' family strengthening programme tries to help her as much as possible. There are also plans for when Maria is no longer around. Her daughter will take care of the two children with the support of SOS Children's Villages.
The names of the people featured in this article have been changed due to privacy.
Back to part 1