She rescues children living on the streets

In the poor Latvian town of Valka, far too many children experience alcoholism, violence and poverty. With support from Childhood, Valka Red Cross is running a support centre for families at risk to counter such dangers. Eight years ago, Galina Sokolova decided to do something to help the children of Valka.

Galina Sokolova, manager of the centre, noticed that many of the children needed somewhere to go after school, to have fun and learn to communicate and solve conflicts without violence. Today, about 200 children come to the centre every week.

“We want to prevent children from abuse. Through our work with the children, we have been able to reach their parents as well. This has made it possible for us to work preventatively with families where we fear that children might become abused,” says Galina Sokolova.

Every day life for families in Valka is harsh. Being one of the poorest cities in Latvia with a high unemployment rate, alcohol and drug abuse is wide-spread in the city. Violence and physical abuse is common.

It is hard for poor families to find the money to pay for after-school activities for their children, so a lot of children are spending their spare time on the streets. These children didn’t have anywhere to go until Galina Sokolova and the Red Cross opened the family support centre.

Today, eight years later, with support from World Childhood Foundation, the centre has become an important part of society in Valka. The centre has grown year by year. Today it employs two social workers, a psychologist and number of pedagogues.

Read more about Childhood

Galina Sokolova, manager of the centre

Maja Svenonius, Childhood