Children’s Center Sofia

The Children’s Center Sofia takes in and cares for children from public children’s homes or difficult family situations who have been abused mentally or physically. It is a family-like institution. Children and teenagers aged six through 18 live together and are cared for by our loving staff. Our staff’s greatest challenge is to carefully restore these children’s trust in adults and, all too often, to give the children hope for their own futures.
Homework assistance and remedial teaching is only one part of our involvement. We also shop, cook and clean together. These aspects are crucial for the children’s later lives, because many of them have not learned to care for themselves in the public institutions. Our work instills in them a sense of self-confidence and trust in their own skills and abilities. This new trust is strengthened by joint activities such as swimming, dancing, creative workshops and computer courses.

Casim’s Story

This is Casim’s story. His parents left him behind in the hospital where he was treated for acute hepatitis. Since nobody came to pick him up, he stayed in the hospital for over a year until he was three years old and was transferred to a public orphanage. Our staff met him during their regular visits and brought him to the Children’s Center when he was 9 because he was often hit and abused by older boys in the orphanage. At 9 years old, he was not able to either read or write! Thanks to our remedial teaching, however, he was able to overcome this deficiency and is now in the sixth grade. In July 2012, after a very long search, our team located Casim’s grandparents, very kind and attentive people who live in a village 300 km away. They took him in, and Casim is happy to finally have found a real home. Today, he is completing an apprenticeship to become a truck mechanic.

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