Every year, as part of the Czech TOP 100 ranking, awards are given for the best annual reports and magazines. Traditionally, this was also the case this year, with the Special Prize from TPA for the annual report being awarded to the non-profit organization SOS Children’s Villages, z.s. The organization helps endangered children facing the risk of being taken away from their biological families or those who could not stay in their own families and are growing up in foster families. The award ceremony took place on November 23, 2023, at Schebek Palace, where Radek Stein, a partner at TPA, presented the award.
“I am very pleased that organizations like SOS Children’s Villages exist. The year 2022 was a significant challenge for this sector in connection with the war in Ukraine. The war brought many difficulties to foster families as well. Children who had already experienced a significant trauma from losing their parents went through another, this time associated with the loss of their homes. We highly appreciate how SOS Children’s Villages responded flexibly to this situation, providing shelter for hundreds of children and their families. For example, in several vacant houses directly within SOS Children’s Villages. Despite this major challenge, they continued to work on improving and expanding services for Czech children. The annual report contains all factual information, including selected stories of individual children and families. In addition, we appreciate the graphic design of the annual report, making its content very clear,” commented Radek Stein, TPA partner.
Jindra Šalátová, Executive Director of SOS Children’s Villages, expressed gratitude for the award. “We are very pleased to have received this award, and we highly value it. In the annual report, in addition to processing data and describing our activities, we devoted space to individual stories of children and families, showing how we specifically help them. I believe that despite the unexpected challenges and difficulties that the year 2022 posed to us in connection with the war in Ukraine, we managed everything as best as we could. Every child should have the opportunity to grow up in a family in an environment of unconditional love, care, and safety. Therefore, we strive for children to be able to grow up in their own families, and if that is not possible, to receive loving care in foster families,” Mrs. Šalátová stated.
SOS Children’s Villages are the oldest non-profit organization in the Czech Republic helping endangered children, having started their activities 54 years ago. The organization assists endangered children, supports families facing the risk of child removal, and provides comprehensive services for foster families caring for adopted children. In 2022, the organization helped a total of 2,640 children and 1,244 families.
