SOS Children in Azerbaijan
Formerly part of the Soviet Union, independence in 1991 was followed by huge social and economic upheaval, soaring inflation and the breakdown of industry and services. In the early 1990s, conflict with Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorny-Karabakh resulted in thousands of casualties and the displacement within Azerbaijan of about one million people.
Despite abundant resources of oil and natural gas, Azerbaijan has very high unemployment. The standard of living is low and poverty and destitution are increasing. The oil-generated wealth in Baku has not filtered down to the most vulnerable: children, the disabled and elderly, and refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs). Basic services such as refuse clearance are inadequate, with serious health implications, whilst dangerous levels of pollution have caused high rates of disability amongst children. Respiratory conditions and parasitic infections are the principal causes of infant and under-five mortality. HIV / AIDS rates are still low in Azerbaijan: official figures state it at 0.1%.
SOS Children’s Village Baku, the first in Azerbaijan, opened in May 2000. Many of the children came from the Ganja City Orphanage and for some it was their first real home. Pleasantly situated in a residential area on the outskirts of Azerbaijan’s capital, amongst olive groves and pine trees overlooking the Caspian Sea, it has fourteen family houses and a nursery for the younger children, as well as children from the neighbourhood. Older children attend local schools. Leisure activities include dancing, and karate for the older boys.
We also run an SOS Playbus which travels around Baku. It is a mobile centre offering fun and educational play materials for children, and it stops off at public parks and hospitals, at orphanages and grey concrete tower blocks. Activities such as drama, dancing, dressing up, face painting and various craft activities help children to obtain confidence in themselves and trust in others. The educational games teach the children about their rights and the environment, among other things, and during the events the Playbus-team shows the parents and teachers new teaching methods and encourages them to develop new ideas.
In February 2007, we began an SOS Family Strengthening Programme (FSP), which increases the ability of vulnerable families to care for their children, and thus prevent child abandonment and family breakdown. For children we offer: a day-care centre, child development activities and distribution of food and school items. For adults, the programme offers counselling and psychological support, support in finding a job, and legal support. We estimate that the families will become independent from the programme after 3-5 years.
A second SOS Children's village opened in Ganja, the country's second largest city, in 2006, and we run an SOS FSP here too.
At present we support over 9,600 people in Azerbaijan through 2 SOS Children’s Villages, 1 SOS Youth Home, 1 SOS Nursery School, 1 SOS Playbus and 2 SOS Family Strengthening Programmes.
For more information about the work we do in Azerbaijan see our page on Azerbaijan Orphans.
When Eshgin was six years old, his mother died and he came to live at SOS Children’s Village Baku. This is his SOS mother Leyla’s story: “Eshgin was angry that his mother had died: he couldn’t accept that someone else had to look after him. One day when he was crying, I went over to him, sat on the bed and told him I knew his mother died and that I was not trying to take her place. His grief was immense, and he was lashing out at me. But after a year or so, he began to accept that his mother was gone, and he started giving his new life a try. Eshgin has been in the Village for eight years now, and we talk about his mother all the time. We went to her grave recently. He laid flowers and told her that he has a new loving mother to take care of him, that she shouldn't worry and that he is happy. He told her he misses her a lot and that there'll always be a place for her in his heart."
Local contacts
SOS Children's Villages Azerbaijan, National Coordination Office
Nizami 137
1100 Baku
Azerbaijan
Tel +994 12 498 8298 or +994 12 498 8698
Fax +994/12/598 3698
e-mail: ugurz@sosushaqkendleri.az
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