Support Children and Families at Risk

Insufficient knowledge of Bulgarian language, poor quality education and discrimination are some of the main challenges Roma children face in education. For children who speak Roma or Turkish, Bulgarian is a foreign language. Many of them do not attend kindergarten, therefore lack the opportunity to communicate with their peers in Bulgarian. This impedes learning, leading to educational deficits and early school leavers. To face this challenges, Caritas Sofia runs Community Support Centres in various villages, where children and their carers are offered social and psychological services. This combined with after school classes and outdoor activities contribute towards the development of children’s educational, linguistic and social skills. Caritas Sofia’s social workers also visit the children at home and talk to parents or their carers.