Today, almost a third of the Dominican's live in Santo Domingo. The important harbour on the south coast of the Dominican Republic is the country's economic and administrative heart and is also a university centre. There is an ever-growing number of tourists who arrive at the international airport of Santo Domingo every year. SOS Children's Village Los Mina is situated in the densely populated quarter of Los Mina, next to a very large slum area. It was officially inaugurated by Hermann Gmeiner, the founder of SOS Children's Villages, in April 1985.
The SOS Children's Village consists of 17 family houses, a community building which houses the village director's apartment, an aunts' (family helpers') house and an administration area.
There are three additional SOS facilities: an SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School, an SOS Kindergarten and an SOS Medical Care Centre. Youths from both SOS Children's Villages in Santo Domingo move to one of the four youth communities (two for boys and two for girls) in the city once they leave the village. These youth communities are apartments where young people live together and gradually prepare for independent living under the care of a youth supervisor. The SOS Hermann Gmeiner School has a capacity for up to 420 students in 18 classrooms and lessons are given from morning to afternoon. In addition to the official curriculum, interesting subjects offered there include creative working, musical education and typewriting. The SOS Hermann Gmeiner School and Kindergarten are also open to the children from the neighbourhood. At the SOS Kindergarten, up to 70 children are taught in three group rooms. The SOS Medical Centre has been in operation since 1988, and offers pediatric, gynecological, ophthalmologic, dermatologic and dental treatment, and in addition, there is a laboratory and a pharmacy. The SOS Medical Centre also organizes various prevention and vaccination programs for the benefit of children and adults living in the local community.