Education and Training 

SOS Children's Village Bangpoo, Thailand - © N. Somchat

There is one general educational concept applied at SOS Children's Village facilities all over the world: the SOS family child care model, with a minimum level of educational goals. These goals depend on the child's age when admitted to the village.

The so-called "four principles" - the SOS mother, the sisters and brothers, the family house and the SOS Children's Village - form the basis and the framework of the concept of our work at the SOS Children's Villages. The foremost of these principles is the mother, or mother-centred care.

Apart from all that, the children's upbringing depends on their cultural and ethical context and on the people involved in their education, SOS mother, teachers etc.

More information on the educational concept

Each child is brought up according to the belief (s)he has taken over from her/his parents. If the parents' faith is not known, the child is brought up according to the religion which is most common in the particular culture. In many SOS Children's Villages, different faiths are represented.

The teaching methods employed, and the games and toys used, are based on the educational theories of Friedrich Fröbel and Maria Montessori, taking due account of the cultural requirements of the country concerned.

The Montessori approach offers a broad vision of education as an aid to life. It is designed to help children with the task of inner construction as they grow from childhood to maturity. It succeeds because it draws its principles from the child's natural development.

More on the SOS Kindergartens

If the infrastructure is sufficient, children generally go to local schools. If there are no suitable schools near the SOS Children's Village, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools (primary and secondary schools) and/or SOS Vocational Training Centres are set up. These facilities are also open to children and youngsters from the neighbourhood.

However, we are always ready to help upgrade existing local schools as a means of saving cost and to promote local integration.

More on the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools and SOS Vocational Training Centres

The SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools offer primary, secondary school education, or both for children from the SOS Children's Village and the neighbourhood. The syllabus is devised in line with the local culture and the country's educational laws. Secondary schooling is completed with a leaving exam.

Each child or youth cared for by SOS Children's Villages receives the education or training best suited to her/his personal abilities and orientated towards the job market in their country. This may incorporate vocational training, home economics, agricultural training or any other sort of additional training and education. Academically gifted youth may even be eligible for higher schooling followed by university studies.

Personal development programmes are provided for youths to help them learn life skills. Training programmes include the development of relationships, sex education and social awareness. Community service programmes are organised to give youths the opportunity to participate constructively in community life. The village director also encourages reunions of young adults who are living independently; this serves to maintain links between them as well as with their SOS family.

Examples of such personal development programmes are:

• Sex education, HIV/AIDS awareness, the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse

• Communication skills, building sustainable relationships, and conflict management

• Community service activities, such as working in local schools, clinics and hospitals, whether through local community or other social organisations

This type of college offers high-level secondary education and takes in talented students between 13 and 18. SOS Children's Villages has one international college.

The first International SOS Hermann Gmeiner College is located in Tema, Ghana. In 1990, the college was established next to the Hermann Gmeiner School and has the capacity to take in 200 students from the entire African continent.

The college offers sound education leading to an International Certificate of Secondary Education and the International Baccalaureate, opening doors to universities all over the world.