Other programmes and facilities 

SOS Family Strengthening Programme Praia, Cape Verde - © C. Ladavicius

At SOS Children’s Villages, our approach to care is based on four principles: Each child needs a parent, and grows up most naturally with brothers and sisters, in his or her own house, within a supportive community.

While for many years the programme structure was defined from a facility-based perspective (SOS family houses, SOS youth facilities, SOS schools, SOS social centres, SOS medical centres), today SOS Children’s Villages stresses a programme-oriented approach, which puts  the child’s development needs and rights at the centre of the programme structure.

A SOS Children’s Village is a child development programme that enables each child to develop to his or her full potential within a caring family environment, whether that be in the biological family or an SOS family. The SOS Children’s Village programme is developed and implemented together with the community.

What is an SOS Emergency Relief Programme?

SOS Emergency Relief Programme in Chile - © SOS Archives

An SOS Emergency Relief Programme is our way of offering swift and un-bureaucratic aid to areas hit by war, crisis or natural disasters. SOS Children's Villages sets up food supply centres in famine- and drought-stricken areas, in many cases guaranteeing basic nourishment of children and their families until the local supply infrastructure has been restored. In the aftermath of natural disasters, food packages, medical supplies, emergency accommodation or building material for reconstruction may be provided. Although emergency relief programmes are set up as temporary initiatives, facilities for long-term help for the stricken community are often established.
More on SOS Emergency Relief Programmes

SOS Children's Villages’ main aim is to provide long-term help for children and families.  We help keep families together and in cases where children have either lost their parents or they can no longer live with them, we can offer long-term solutions.  We also run permanent facilities  such as kindergartens, schools, medical and social centres within communities.

In crisis situations caused by war or natural disasters, SOS Children's Villages is able to respond swiftly through its network of facilities to help victims, by running its own relief programmes or collaborating with the state, UN or other NGOs. Emergency relief, however, forms only a small part of SOS Children's Villages' work, and our SOS Emergency Relief Programmes are minor in comparison to those of other NGOs in the field.

Our programmes for people affected by HIV/AIDS concentrate on prevention in and on supporting child- or grandparent-headed families, where the parents have succumb to the disease. It is imperative to inform children, young people and employees about how to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. When children living in an SOS family develop AIDS, we look after them in the family for as long as possible, provided that there is access to treatment.

In areas where the disease is widespread, people turn to SOS Medical Centres for support, including testing and counselling.  HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programmes are also run from medical centres. In addition, we provide scholarships to children from families affected by HIV/AIDS, that allow them to attend to attend school or kindergarten.

Our community support programmes for people affected by HIV/AIDS concentrate on the assistance and support for child- or grandparent-headed families.  This includes material support, education, links with social security/welfare provision, HIV/AIDS prevention/awareness campaigns, counselling and income generating activities.

More on SOS Children's Villages HIV/AIDS programmes