Children In Distress

What Children In Distress does

Children in Distress is a Scottish-registered charity (SC039383), founded in 1990 in response to children abandoned in Romanian orphanages, many affected by HIV/AIDS. The organization operates as a grant-funding and direct-service body delivering across two geographies. In Romania, it funds and supports Casa Maria, a residential home in Bucharest providing 24/7 specialist care for 12 children with severe disabilities and complex needs, delivering accommodation, medical assistance, rehabilitation, therapy, education, and community reintegration. In the UK, it funds diaspora-focused grassroots projects (Nicolae Lorga Sunday School in Hull, Flavours of Home with REACH CIC, Empowering Young Futures in London) and runs the annual "Love in a Box" Shoebox Appeal, which distributed over 5,000 individually packed gift boxes across more than 20 locations in Romania in 2025.

The charity's revenue is sourced from individual donations (monthly recurring and one-off), Gift Aid, legacy bequests, and three UK charity shops in Kirkbymoorside, Guisborough, and Shildon, supplemented by corporate partnerships — most notably a 20+ year warehousing relationship with Prestons of Potto. Grants ranging from £1,000 to £10,000 are awarded annually to registered charities, non-profits, community groups, and social enterprises operating in Romania, England, Scotland, and Wales. Operating with 17 staff across a registered office in Edinburgh and a new administrative hub in York opened in March 2024, the charity is governed by a Board of Trustees and operates under the royal patronage of HRH Princess Maria of Romania.

Name

Children In Distress

Legal name

Children In Distress

Website

https://childrenindistress.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scottish-registered children's charity funding wellbeing, education, and life-skills projects for vulnerable and diaspora Romanian children across the UK and Romania through grants, a Bucharest residential home, and an annual gift-box appeal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Charity Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Mental Health & Emotional/Trauma-Informed Childcare (anxiety, PTSD) (HSAAAIAI), Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Children's charity services
• Grant funding programs
• Community fundraising
• Residential disability care
• Shoebox appeal charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: The charity relies on donations from individuals, businesses, and community groups. Donors can make monthly recurring donations or one-off contributions. Donations support grants to grassroots organisations and direct care at Casa Maria.
2. Legacy Bequests: The charity encourages supporters to leave a legacy gift in their will to help future generations of children in Romania and the UK.
3. Gift Aid: UK taxpayers can sign up for Gift Aid, allowing the charity to claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated at no additional cost to the donor.
4. Charity Retail Operations: The charity operates charity shops in Kirkbymoorside, Guisborough, and Shildon that generate funds through the sale of donated goods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Children In Distress is a Scottish-registered charity that funds projects enhancing children's wellbeing, education, and life skills in the UK and Romania. The charity operates residential care through Casa Maria in Bucharest, runs an annual Christmas Shoebox Appeal (Love in a Box) distributing over 5,000 gift boxes annually, and awards grants of £1,000–£10,000 to grassroots community organisations. It also operates charity shops in three UK locations and runs heritage and life-skills programmes for Romanian diaspora communities.

Product overview

Children In Distress is a children's charity operating as a grant-funding organization that supports projects enhancing children's wellbeing, education, and life skills in the UK and Romania. The core portfolio includes grant-funded residential care at Casa Maria in Bucharest, the annual Love in a Box Shoebox Appeal distributing thousands of Christmas gift boxes, and UK-based community projects including the Nicolae Iorga Sunday School and Flavours of Home. The charity also operates retail shops for fundraising and provides grant funding (£1,000-£10,000) to registered charities and community organisations focused on communities, education, work, and wellbeing outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Casa Maria Residential Care Home Specialist residential care home in Bucharest, Romania providing 24/7 accommodation, medical assistance, rehabilitation therapies, education, and emotional support for 12 children with severe disabilities and complex needs who are separated from their parents.
• Love in a Box (Shoebox Appeal) Annual Christmas gift appeal run by the charity since its founding, collecting and distributing individually packed shoeboxes filled with essentials, toys, and treats to over 5,000 recipients at more than 20 schools, churches, residential care centres, and community projects across Romania.
• Grant Funding Programme Annual grant programme awarding single grants of £1,000 to £10,000 to registered charities, non-profit organisations, community groups, and social enterprises in Romania, England, Scotland, and Wales for projects focused on strengthening communities, enhancing education, improving employment opportunities, and promoting wellbeing.
• Nicolae Iorga Sunday School (Hull) Grant-funded Romanian language and culture school in Hull providing structured Sunday lessons, creative cultural activities, and family-friendly community events for children from Romanian immigrant families to maintain heritage connections.
• Flavours of Home (Hull) After-school programme in Hull run by REACH CIC helping children of Romanian immigrants celebrate their cultural heritage through preparing traditional dishes and learning about Romanian customs, stories, and history.
• Empowering Young Futures: Life, Learning & Wellbeing (London) London-based programme delivered by Alexz Educational for Romanian young people aged 12-16, providing 18 group activity sessions, individual mentoring, social action projects, and workshops on wellbeing, life skills, and employability training.
• Charity Retail Shops Three UK charity shops operated in Kirkbymoorside, Guisborough, and Shildon selling donated goods to generate funds for the charity's work, also serving as community hubs offering friendship and volunteer opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 Christmas shoeboxes delivered annually across Romania
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Casa MariacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Specialist residential home in Bucharest providing care for 12 children with severe disabilities and complex needs. Children in Distress provides grants to fund operations. The home was created in 2022 continuing the legacy of St. Margaret's Hospice and Children's Centre.
• Prestons of PottocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationwide haulage and warehousing company providing storage solutions for the annual Shoebox Appeal in their warehouses for over 20 years. They have proudly provided storage for the charity's biggest campaign, enabling the collection and distribution of thousands of shoeboxes.
• EnterpriseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate supporter providing shoeboxes and preferential rates for the Shoebox Appeal campaign.
• Mission ReliefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner that has supported the charity's campaigns for many years.
• REACH CICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Interest Company that created the Flavours of Home programme. Children in Distress provides grant funding to support this after-school initiative for children of Romanian immigrants in Hull.
• Nicolae Lorga Sunday SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRomanian language school in Hull providing Sunday lessons for children. Children in Distress provides grant funding to support this project launched in March 2025.
• Alexz EducationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon-based educational organization delivering the Empowering Young Futures project for Romanian young people aged 12-16. Children in Distress provides grant funding for this programme offering life skills, wellbeing support, and employability training until June 2026.
• HE Laura PopescuminorOthersRomanian Ambassador to the Court of St James attended the charity's 35th Anniversary celebration dinner in London.
• Chalkhill Community CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity venue in London hosting the Alexz Educational project sessions for young Romanian people.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chance for Childhood: UK-registered charity working with marginalised children (including those with disabilities) in Africa and Asia. Comparable in scale, beneficiary profile (children with complex needs), and grant-funded project model.
• SOS Children's Villages UK: International charity providing family-based residential care for orphaned and abandoned children. Highly comparable to Casa Maria's residential-care-for-vulnerable-children model and shares a similar donor base of supporters interested in long-term child welfare.
• Children on the Edge: UK-based charity supporting marginalised children globally through community-led education and protection projects. Comparable in size, mission focus on vulnerable children, and grassroots grant-making approach in lower-income countries.
• Hope and Homes for Children: UK-based charity founded in 1994 specifically to reform institutional care for Romanian orphans — the same crisis that catalysed Children in Distress. Operates a similar residential-care-deinstitutionalisation model and cross-border UK-Romania footprint.
• Railway Children: UK charity supporting vulnerable children at risk of exploitation, homelessness, and trafficking. Comparable in beneficiary focus (at-risk youth), community-led project model, and small-staff scale.
• Hospice Casa Sperantei (Hospice of Hope): UK-registered charity that built and operates hospice and children's palliative-care services in Romania. Closely comparable to Children in Distress in its UK-registered / Romania-operated model and in caring for children with severe/complex medical needs in Romania.
• FARA Foundation: UK charity supporting disadvantaged children and young people in Romania. Directly comparable Romania-focused mission and similar cross-border UK-Romania operational pattern.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children UK: Large UK-registered international children's charity operating globally including in Romania. Comparable in mission scope (children's welfare, education, emergency relief) but operates at much greater scale and portfolio breadth.
• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, supporting vulnerable children including those with disabilities and in care. Comparable beneficiary population to Casa Maria's residents but at vastly greater scale and with domestic UK focus.

Emerging players

• Together for Short Lives: UK charity for children with life-limiting and complex conditions. Comparable to the specialist disability and palliative-care dimension of Casa Maria's work in Bucharest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FundatiaCIDRomania
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children-in-distress

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Children In Distress