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| Domitila and her mother |
Can you briefly introduce yourself and your relations to SOS Children's Villages?
My name is Domitila Orazco. I am 36, I am married and have two children. I grew up at SOS Children's Village Estelí. Later on, I worked as a teacher at the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School in Estelí. Almost six months ago I returned to SOS Children's Village Estelí as village director.
Why were you admitted to SOS Children's Village Estelí?
The main reason why my younger sister and I came to the village was the illness of our mother - she is blind and she could not look after us. Additionally, our financial situation was very difficult, because my father had left us.
My two older siblings were not taken to the village because of their age. My younger sister and I lived in the same SOS family for about ten years, before she was re-integrated into our biological family.
How long and at which facilities/programmes were you a beneficiary of SOS Children's Villages?
I was seven when I arrived at the village. I stayed there until I went to live in a house which belongs to my SOS mother; this was at the age of twenty-one. I didn't join an SOS Youth Facility because such a thing did not exist in my country at that time, but my SOS mother supported me a lot at that stage.
How would you describe your relationship with your SOS mother?
She is one of the best gifts that I have received in my life! She has been with me during the best moments and in the most difficult stages of my life. For example, she was with me when I gave birth to my children. When I left the village, she gave me her wholehearted support, providing me with her own house to start my independent life and giving me guidance regarding my professional development opportunities.
We have a very intense contact. Since she still lives in a house near the village, we visit each other frequently. Sometimes we spend all day talking. I love her a lot and now it is my turn to give, as she has been very sick lately. She is has led an exemplary life and we - her SOS children - are her reason to live (she has no biological children).
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| Domitila at her previous workplace, the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School in Estelí |
How did you get the village director job?
It all started when the national director asked me to temporarily manage the SOS Children's Village. During the selection process my curriculum vitae was taken into consideration; I did the respective interview and was eventually told that I had been selected.
How would you describe your job as a village director?
I have no words to describe it; for me, it doesn't feel like work at all! The most important thing is to be willing to fulfil your duties and I do that with dedication and love. I give a lot of me and I ask God to give me wisdom.
What does SOS Children's Villages mean to you today?
SOS Children's Villages is a very important benchmark in my life. I think the SOS Children's Village still is a viable alternative care model for children who lack the protection of a family. To me, the village means security and protection, a life in a community and, now, a challenge. I feel proud, happy, blessed and privileged to be part of this great SOS family.
What are your wishes for the children?
One of my wishes is that they finish their education, as I did. Apart from that, I simply wish the best for them, that they become good members of society and good people who can attend to their affairs and stay away from bad things that might harm them. I hope all SOS children will later have positive memories of the stage of life they spent within the 'SOS community' and feel that this stage has contributed to their personal development.
This interview was carried out by Hugo Solórzano, research assistant at the Regional Office for Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.