Athens , Greece ( CNN ) -- Imagine abandoning your own children because you ca n't afford to feed and clothe them . It 's a parent 's nightmare that in Greece , mired in economic crisis , is increasingly becoming reality . Kassiani Papadopoulou , 34 , from Athens , is a single mother , unemployed and unable to care for her three young children . Because of the poor economic climate in Greece , she felt she had no choice but to leave them in a care home , which she tries to visit every few weeks . `` It 's really difficult , really tragic for a true mother to leave her children , '' she told CNN . `` But when you understand they are not at fault and deserve a future , it 's better to make a move like this , than have them beside you without even a plate of food . '' After years of recession , and biting austerity measures , including job cuts and tax rises , Greece is in financial despair . The Hellenic Statistical Authority , which compiles data for the state , said the unemployment rate in the first quarter of the year was 22.6 % . It also said 27.7 % of the Greek population is on the verge of poverty or facing the danger of poverty . The numbers do n't include groups like Roma , who are Gypsies , illegal immigrants , the homeless and institutionalized people . The country 's heavily indebted economy is dependent on bailout funds from the European Union , European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund . What will Greek elections mean for the country 's future ? But that troika is demanding deeper cuts to social spending , creating what social workers are calling a wave of `` economic orphans , '' abandoned not through lack of love , but money . `` I think this is the first time I 've seen so many poor families asking for help for their own children , '' says Stelios Sifnios , director of SOS Children 's Villages , a European charity providing support for struggling Greek families , including orphanages . The authority lacks a count for economic orphans , but one of its statistics signals potential problems for families . It says 22.9 % of all types of families with children under the age of 18 are on the verge of or face the danger of poverty . `` Before the economic crisis , the majority of our kids came from problem families , with parents who were drug addicts or alcoholics . Now most new arrivals are from families who ca n't afford them , '' he adds . Kassiani says she wants to take her children home , but ca n't afford it . `` I feel powerless for being unable to stand on my own two feet , '' she says , blaming successive Greek governments for her predicament . `` For me , its all those who govern . They 've all looked out for themselves instead of the people and the poor like us , who should be the responsibility of the State . '' But in Greece , the state can barely afford to care . The future of Europe : 3 scenarios .
Greece is mired in economic crisis -- and country 's youngest residents are not immune . Parents , struggling to deal with the financial situation , forced to place children in care . Comment: