In these challenging times those working with over two million of the world’s most vulnerable children and their families have provided a unique insight into the issues that are common to many. SOS Children’s Villages teams across five continents share their experiences and concerns as they provide realistic options for legislators and others who wish to do something NOW to make family life better in 2013.
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| Every child needs to be loved @ Conor Ashleigh |
No bedside story for Shari today… ...and none tomorrow
A warm bath, a lullaby, a nice and cosy bed…. Proper sleeping conditions mean a lot more than having a secure place to rest. A clean bed makes us feel at home and reminds us of exciting bedside stories and shared family moments.
Sleeping in cramped and dirty premises, getting soaked over-night and missing the protection and care of a loving family, children like Shari are day-to-day at risk of getting sick and will not be able to focus on their education.
Together we can change Shari’s life.... and the lives of thousands like her
Children sleeping on banana leaves instead of proper beds and getting soaked overnight in houses with leaking roofs or missing windows will not be able to focus on their education.
With your help SOS Children’s Villages supports families in improving their housing situation in a cooperative and enduring way. This lowers the daily pressure on all family members, enables space for routine moments and creates stability for their children.
Read how
a warm and cosy bed was a lifechanging moment in the life of a boy in Vietnam.
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| Feeling loved and secure -he deserves it @M. Morosini |
Moments make families
Every child deserves to have a family where he or she belongs, feels loved and secure. The value of an intact family is infinite and the emotional security it conveys is the most extraordinary experience a child, or an adult, can have.
A family picnic, doing crafts together, cuddling up to your parents on the sofa… These and many other small day-to-day family moments mean a lot more than spending time together regularly. They make sure that children flourish and form strong relationships which help them to cope even with difficult living conditions.
Helping parents cope
The economic crises severely affected parents’ caring and coping abilities. Inadequate living conditions and the struggle for economic survival create stress and despair.
Poverty can manifest itself in various ways:
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The struggle to assure decent housing and nutrition for children
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Worries about being able to pay bills
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The search for income and the worry of losing a job
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Social pressure to perform well
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Chronic health problems due to insufficient nutrition, hygiene or healthcare
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| Drifting....in a world of poverty @ SOS Archives |
Families can drift into a constant state of emergency and crisis, which undermines stability. Around 20% of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty, defined as having to survive on less than US$1.25/day. The UN and the World Bank estimate that the recent economic crisis has driven an additional 47 to 84 Million people into extreme poverty.
By providing a variety of support including vocational training for women and employment assistance, families supported by SOS Children’s Villages have improved their income prospects. Of all parents who participated 95 per cent reported that their housing and living conditions had improved, this in turn strengthened their families and helps keep children in school.
First....meeting basic needs
“For children to feel relaxed and secure, their basic needs need to be satisfied. Emotional security and safety allows children to socialise and develop their cognitive functions (developing their intellectual curiosity). When children feel emotionally secured, they have more confidence in themselves, are less likely to fear setbacks and tend more to try again if they fail at the first attempt. This allows them to face life’s obstacles and other people’s judgements, as well as to do their absolute best and succeed in life.”
Heger Akrout SOS Children’s Villages Continental Programme Development Director, Africa and Middle East. 
Read the interview
Passing on the message
On "May 15th is UN International Day of Families SOS Children’s Villages launched “Family Focus 2012 – Challenging times – how 2013 can be made better" and provides realistic options on how to reverse worrying predictions for the year ahead. By placing the concept of a strong family environment at the core of every decision made, the in-depth report provides realistic solutions to help ensure unnecessary hardship is averted in 2013, and thereafter.
The priority of SOS Children's Villages is to help families care for children. Regardless of their background, children should live in a family who will support them to reach their potential. When it is not possible for a child to remain in his or her biological family, he or she may find a new home within a family in an SOS Children's Village.