SOS Children's Village Pedra Bonita is the second SOS Children's Village within the urban area of Rio de Janeiro (SOS Children's Village Jacarepaguá being the first). The SOS Children's Village was opened in 1994 and is situated about thirty kilometres from the city centre in a middle-class residential area. The infrastructure of the area is good: children attend the local schools, and a hospital and shopping centre situated a few kilometres away from the SOS Children's Village can easily be reached by public transport.
SOS Children's Village Pedra Bonita consists of eleven family houses, where up to 108 children can find a new home. There is also the village director's house, a house for the so-called SOS aunts (SOS mother trainees or family helpers who support the SOS mothers during their daily work and fill in for them when they are ill or on leave), and an administration and service area.
An SOS Youth Facility in the city centre accommodates up to twelve youths from the SOS Children's Village. Young people usually move from the SOS Children's Village to an SOS Youth Facility when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, the young people develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers.