Children's village with social center in Albania

Many families in Albania are struggling to meet their basic needs. They are often dependent on help from non-governmental organizations. The hardest hit are single parents, families with many children and people belonging to the Roma community. The latter continues to be exposed to social discrimination and is affected by a particularly high unemployment rate. Many children from Roma families do not receive an education because their families cannot afford to send them to school. Some children from these families can be found on the streets of Tirana or Shkodra, working, collecting garbage or begging for money.

In a city where violence is the order of the day, children are very much at risk of becoming victims of human traffickers and criminal gangs. The commitment of SOS Children's Villages since 1992 has helped to ensure that many children are spared this fate with the Children's Village, three youth centers and four social facilities.