Our organisation 

Hermann Gmeiner, a native Austrian, founded the first Austrian SOS Children's Villages association in 1949. For Hermann Gmeiner, the original goal was, after the devastation of the Second World War, to provide orphans and abandoned children with a family, a house, and a village in which to feel at home. The first SOS Children's Village was built in Imst in the Austrian province of Tyrol the same year.

The very first house in the village was named "House of Peace". Imst has become the model for SOS Children's Villages all over the world; an adaptable, internationally practicable and all-embracing child-care concept.

More about the history of the organisation and Hermann Gmeiner

Every SOS Children's Village offers a permanent home in a family-style environment to children who have lost their parents or can no longer live with them. Four to ten boys and girls of different ages live together with their SOS mother in a family house, and eight to fifteen SOS Children's Village families form a village community.

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.

The supporting facilities are all the facilities that are based around the SOS Children's Village itself. These can be kindergartens, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools, vocational training centres, social centres, medical centres etc. Supporting facilities are not only open to SOS Children's Village children and youths, but also to the local community.

"SOS Children's Villages" is the English name of the entire organisation, active in 132 countries and territories through national associations.

"SOS-Kinderdorf International" is the official name of the umbrella organisation of all SOS Children's Villages associations. As the umbrella organisation has been registered as an association with the Austrian authorities, the legal name used is a German language term. You are currently browsing the website of SOS-Kinderdorf International.

All SOS Children's Villages associations have their own local boards and are responsible for the organisation's activities in the respective countries.

More information on SOS-Kinderdorf International

Each SOS Children's Villages association establishes a National Office to coordinate the activities of all SOS Children's Villages facilities in the respective country. The National Offices are there to carry out necessary tasks (e.g. accounting, liaison with other organisations and government authorities, sponsorship services etc.) in the most efficient and economical way.

 
SOS Promoting Associations are independent national SOS Children's Villages associations in accordance with the relevant national legislation and the statutes of SOS-Kinderdorf International, and members of SOS-Kinderdorf International.

SOS Promoting Associations make a major contribution to the funding of SOS Children's Village activities all over the world. They provide financial resources where the national associations are not able to meet the total funding requirements locally. Several SOS Promoting Associations even run their own SOS Children's Villages facilities in their countries.

 
The first initiative may come from a government, embassy, or individual with a special connection to the country in question and in-depth knowledge of the social situation, particularly when it comes to children. In some cases, an SOS Children's Villages co-worker might bring the special plight in a particular country to the organisation's attention.

A sudden emergency, such as war, natural disaster, or famine might also lead to SOS-Kinderdorf International offering help, usually by way of an SOS Emergency Relief Programme. Such temporary programmes might, in many cases, lead to SOS Children's Villages and/or other permanent facilities being established in the country.