Capital: Sofia
Area: 110,912 km²
Population: 8.3 million (December 2000 est.)
Ethnic groups: 85% Bulgarian, 8.5% Turkish, 2.6% Roma, 2.5% Macedonian
Official language(s): Bulgarian
Religion(s): 85% Bulgarian Orthodox, 13% Muslim
Currency: 1 lev = 100 stotinki
SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
The SOS Children's Villages' work in Bulgaria started in 1990 with the signing of an agreement between SOS-Kinderdorf International and the Bulgarian Health Ministry that two SOS Children's Villages be built. The Bulgarian SOS Children's Village Association, "SOS-Detski Selishta v Bulgaria" was founded shortly thereafter. The first families were able to move into the first SOS Children's Village in Trjavna in the autumn of 1993.
The second SOS Children's Village was constructed between 1994 and 1995. This is situated in Dren, about 45 kilometres south of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Construction work started in May 1995 on an SOS Kindergarten on the grounds of SOS Children's Village Dren. When the signs showed that at the end of 1996, the political and economic situation in the country was worsening, which was having dramatic affects on a large part of the population, SOS-Kinderdorf International started an aid programme in December of that year. They distributed baby clothes and food as well as winter clothing.
Two more aid programmes followed in 1997, one in the spring and the other in the winter, where around 400 people from Dren, Trjavna, Varna and Plovidiv were given medical supplies. Since 2002 another community outreach programme has been carried out by the SOS Children's Village Dren distributing food packages to poor families/people. Because there are not many training places in the small town of Trjavna, flats were bought in the town of Veliko Tarnovo, about 30 km away, in 1998, 1999 and 2004. These were for the youths from SOS Children's Village Trjavna. Once they had been renovated and converted the youths were able to move in.
A further SOS Youth Facility in Sofia, for youths from SOS Children's Village Dren followed in September 2001 and was extended in autumn 2003 and in 2006.
In 2004 SOS Children's Villages Bulgaria initiated a community support programme in Sofia. The aim is to provide financial support to poor families so that they can send their children to the kindergarten who will have the same equal possibilities for a pre-school education. In the beginning of 2007 SOS Children’s Village Bulgaria started to operate a Family Strengthening Programme in Sofia, which enables children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. To achieve this, SOS Children’s Village Bulgaria works directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children, in cooperation with local authorities and other service providers.
At present there are two SOS Children's Villages in Bulgaria, two SOS Youth Facilities, one SOS Kindergarten and five SOS Social Centres.