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Even in comparison with other countries of the former Soviet Union, Tajikistan has experienced an economic collapse of a scale and dimension of huge proportion. Today, it remains the poorest country in the Central Independent States. Unemployment and migration are arguably the two most significant social and economic challenges facing the country. Large numbers of children are being left to grow up in single parent families, or in the care of older relatives with low incomes, deteriorating health and little access to social services. In Tajikistan, traditional values encourage extended family to take responsibility for children left without parental care to avoid them being sent to live in institutional care. But economic hardship and widespread poverty lead many children who have lost one or both parents to end up living in institutional care, or living and working on the streets all alone.
Around 10,000 children in Tajikistan are living apart from their families in state-run residential care. Most end up living in state care because their families face poverty and unemployment and believe they have no alternative. Parents face few barriers to placing their children in residential care and alternative solutions are rarely encouraged by the state.
Provision of care and support for children with disabilities is generally poor and most are placed in residential institutions due to a lack of alternative community-based support services. In institutions children with disabilities rarely receive any form of specialist care as the state does not support this.
What is EveryChild doing to help?
EveryChild is providing technical assistance to support the government to manage and deliver high quality social services to children with disabilities and other vulnerable children.
Our work also involves training social workers to deliver social services that are in the best interests of the children.
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