Vladi’s story: from a harmful institution to a loving foster family
Petya Panosyana vividly remembers walking into a large room where young children were tied by either their arms or legs to their cribs. It was almost eight years ago, at a large residential institution for children in Shumen, Bulgaria. Children in the institution were in iron cribs with rubber mattresses. There were no pillows or blankets. “And…, , A long legacy of institutionalisation, Only a few decades ago, placing vulnerable children in large-scale institutions was the norm across much of Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia. In many countries in the region there are deep rooted beliefs that in certain situations – when a family is vulnerable or a child requires specialised support – large-scale residential…, , Success in Bulgaria, Since 2000, UNICEF, the European Union (EU) and other partners have supported governments across the Region move away from large-scale institutional care for children towards family and community-based care systems – including in Bulgaria. Between 2010 and 2017 the number of children in institutional care dropped from more than 7,500 to under 1,…, , A happy, healthy childhood, Back in Shumen, eight-year-old Vladi is a happy healthy boy, who attends school. He says that he loves his foster mother very much. “I love my mom taking care of me, as well as I like taking care of her,” he says. Like Vladi, all children have the right to grow up in a loving family environment.
Europe and Central Asia
