Sos Children'S Villages Azerbaijan

"SOS Children's Villages - Azerbaijan" Association was founded in 1999 according to agreement signed between "SOS Children’s Village International” and Azerbaijan government. The main purpose of the organization is providing family based care to the children deprived from parental care as well as implementation of different activities aimed to provide children social welfare. Currently a number of social and educational projects successfully have being implemented within Baku and Ganja SOS Children's Villages and Family Support Program. “SOS Children’s Villages – Azerbaijan” has been implementing Child Protection Policy based on UN Convention on Child Rights. SOS Children’s Villages has responded to the social, cultural and economic changes in Azerbaijan and to the changing needs of children and families. In cooperation with local authorities, the SOS Social Centres run family-strengthening programmes which enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their families to grow within a loving family environment. Families are given support and counselling to ensure that children have access to essential services; adults can improve their parental skills and ability to earn a living. Children from the local community have been supported through the provision of day care and a mobile play centre. Children whose parents cannot take care of them will find a loving home in one of the SOS families. Young people are given the opportunity to live semi- independently until they are ready to live on their own.