Bulgarian Children

Are Sending Out an SOS

As traditional as the culture is in Bulgaria, orphaned Bulgarian children have been a forgotten segment of the population that require aid. For more than a decade, orphaned and abandoned children have found new homes, lives, and families through SOS Children’s Villages.

The Truth of the Matter

Orphaned Child

Bulgarian children are finding both security and companionship in the form of an SOS mother and their new SOS brothers and sisters.

The Way You Can Help

Here's how you can change the life of a Bulgarian child: As an online sponsor, you can make a world of difference to a child in Bulgaria. When you become a sponsor, you are making an invaluable contribution towards the work of SOS Children's Villages, helping them help Bulgarian children.

Children Singing in Dren

Since the early 1990’s, the SOS children’s charity has been working with Bulgaria’s neediest orphans. The first SOS community was established in Trjavna in 1993.

The charity also opened a community at Dren in 1995. This small village is located in the district of Radomir, about 45 km south of Sofia. Dren has a kindergarten used by children and families in the neighbourhood. The SOS Children are integrated into local schools in both Dren and Radomir.

The Success of SOS

Providing children with permanent homes as well as stable environments remain the primary keys to the success of SOS Children's Villages. Many of these children have either lost their parents or are no longer able to live with them for a variety of reasons.

Children Dancing

The SOS Children's Village provides a family-like structure and is formed by four basic principles: children need a mother, brothers and sisters, a house, and a village.

Each child in Bulgaria is given an SOS mother. She is the primary caregiver for this child and may be called upon to be a substitute for the child's natural parents. She lives in a house together with the children in her care.

She is responsible for providing organisation for the family's daily life. She creates strong and dependable relationships with the Bulgarian children and provides a safe and loving home.

The job of an SOS Children's Village mother is usually carried out by a single caregiver who has completed an extensive training program. These SOS mothers find support in their highly responsible task as educational co-workers as well as women who are still training to be SOS Children's Village mothers.

SOS Football Team

An SOS Children’s Village places girls and boys of differing ages in a home together in much the same way they might expect things to be in other home environments. Natural brothers and sisters are not separated. Bulgarian children are accepted from small babies until the age of ten. In the event that there are older brothers and sisters involved, they too are accepted into the program.


Every SOS family has a house of their own. Each house has a combined living/dining room as the centre of social life. The atmosphere encourages Bulgarian children to view the necessary arrangement as a home of their own. Once this is understood, bonding within the families becomes an important piece in the "mosaic." SOS Children's Villages are designed to give the children a feeling of belonging and family structure.

Children in Class

How much does it cost?

It costs a minimum of £20 a month to sponsor a Bulgarian child through the work of SOS Children’s Villages. Paying by Direct Debit is the most cost-effective and efficient method of payment – saving you time and postage. This method also reduces administration costs. It is important to note that there are no deductions made from the sponsors’ payments for administration costs.

Office volunteers manage the administrative details, which helps keeps the charity’s costs low - making more of your gift available to the Bulgarian children who need it most. SOS also defrays administration costs by using donations from individuals who have willingly agreed to assist with this particular cost. Any remaining associated costs are derived by using part of the tax SOS Children’s Villages reclaim on those donors who are UK taxpayers and agree to Gift Aid.