RECONNECTING AND TRANSFORMING

International Annual Report 2021

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We believe that truly bonding with a child has the power to change the world.

 

Today, 1 in 10 children and young people are separated from their families, abandoned, neglected or forced to live in an abusive environment, growing up without the support they need to prepare themselves for their future. The reasons vary from family to family and from country to country, are complex, and are often interlinked. They might include:


Violence, abuse and neglect

Death of a caregiver

 Poverty

        Forced migration


 Poor physical or mental health
of caregiver

 Lack of access to social services

 Child marriage and teen pregnancy

At SOS Children’s Villages, we work with governments and partners to strengthen families struggling to stay together and to ensure that children and youth are cared for, protected and able to transition confidently into adulthood. The International Annual Report gives an overview of our activities and financial information for 2021. Also included is a "Year in Review" article explaining the context of our work; a feature on the importance of high-quality data collection; our list of international partners and personal stories.

2021 ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS 

61

Countries where we contributed to positive change in policy & practice

88,800

Families supported to stay together

31

Emergencies responded to with child protection activities

1,900

young people engaged in advocacy 

26,700

People reached through youth employability & entrepreneurship training and initiatives

68,000

Children & young people cared for in a range of care options

Youth message

Duangchai, 23, grew up in family-like care in Laos. In 2021, she graduated university and founded her own business, refusing to let the challenges of the pandemic stop her. She also represents Laos as a member of the SOS Children’s Villages International Youth Coalition.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world. For many ambitious young people, life came to a halt; we started losing hope as our education, internships, every aspect of our life was badly affected. The first fear was to remain safe from the coronavirus, but there was always an anxiety about what next? How will we complete our education, when will we see friends again, how will I survive without a job? I was trying to put a lot of things together because I realized how important it is to have my own savings. Coming from an alternative care background and living in a semi-independent arrangement, I was assuming my future would be dark. Nevertheless, I was always a creative person and during the lockdown I decided to give wings to my ideas: I am now the founder and CEO of an eco-printing business. I promote my company through Facebook and put up stalls to increase my sales. To support myself financially, I secured a job in the hotel business after receiving skills training on CV writing and applying for jobs from SOS Children’s Villages in Laos. I aim to give back some percentage of my profits to them as I always received immense support from my village, especially my SOS mother. I also want to give training on eco-printing to my siblings there. All this turmoil made me realize how important it is to have a passion. It is equally important to learn some employability skills so that you can support yourself at a time of adversity. I invite all organizations working with young people to prepare us better for independent living. Start identifying passion in children from an early age and extend support. Provide entrepreneurship training so that we can bring change in our lives as well as in the lives of other young people. Improve the coping and self-management skills of young people and increase our general awareness about society and community. Make us civically empowered so that we can transition smoothly to independent living. I hope my story can make some young people believe in themselves more and encourage them to do just a little bit more because hard work pays off and with those extra efforts you can reach your goals.

   

Facts and Figures 2021

  • 138 countries and territories where we worked

  • 8% increase in people reached

  • 14% increase in people reached through family strengthening programmes

  • 1,277,000 total people reached worldwide

  • €1.47 billion total revenue

  • 4.4 million donors and supporters

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