Poverty causes situations of social exclusion and affects children in fundamental aspects of their development such as food, education, health or protection.
Children who grow up alone – without having their basic needs met, without love or security – often struggle to succeed as adults. Even if they have people around them, without the right kind of support and care, they may feel alone.
Over 220 million children are frighteningly alone – shut out from a caring family environment and sometimes even rejected by their communities and deprived of basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, protection, and love.
SOS Children's Villages, through its network of 571 Villages present in 135 countries, cares for children and young people who are in a situation of vulnerability, in order to boost their development and autonomy by fostering, preventing and strengthening their family and social networks, so that they become self-sufficient and well integrated in society with the same opportunities, rights, and obligations as other children and young people.
