Hope and Homes for Children (Bulgaria)
Hope and Homes for Children (HHC) is an international charity fighting for every child to experience the love and belonging of a safe family home.
Over 100 years of research show how institutional care (i.e. orphanages) harms children and severely impacts a child’s life chances.
Since 1994, HHC has been working in multiple countries with governments, other NGOs, and funders, as well as in partnership with children, their families, and communities, to develop institution-free care systems.
In Bulgaria, HCC is achieving this by strengthening child protection mechanisms, training local professionals, and developing foster care and services to support families. The tools they have developed there since 2009 have become approved norms within Bulgarian social work practice.
In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation is supporting Hope and Homes for Children’s work in Bulgaria.
Baby institutions can subject children to abuse and neglect. Children lose on average one month’s growth for every three months spent in an institution. Children below three are most at risk, with research demonstrating the severe impact of institutionalisation on brain development.
However, huge progress has been made over the past 13 years to ensure more children grow up in a family setting. Since 2009, HCC helped reduce the number of children aged 0-3 in institutions by over 90%, thanks to their Active Family Support approach, working with the authorities to close 26 institutions.
This four-year project is supporting Bulgaria to become institution-free. The landmark closure of the remaining four baby institutions will provide a model for accelerating reform in countries across Europe.
The Eurofins Foundation helped Hopes and Homes for Children to work with 15 families in crisis, comprised of 21 children.
This project contributes to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
