SOS Children's Village Qodsaya is situated on a hill 10 km west of Damascus, on the road to Lebanon. It was officially inaugurated on 18 October 1981 by Hermann Gmeiner, the founder of SOS Children's Villages. It consists of 14 family houses for up to 108 children, the village director's house, a house for the so-called SOS aunts (SOS mother trainees or family helpers who support the SOS mothers in their daily work and fill in for them when they are ill or on leave), a multi-purpose hall, and an administration and service area.
At the SOS Children's Village, children and youngsters can take part in a variety of free-time activities, such as painting and drawing, book clubs, arts and crafts, needlework, and different kinds of sports. Trips to the cinema and to the theatre are organised. Most of the children regularly go to the beach, where they have fun swimming and playing in the sea. They particularly enjoy trips to the mountains or to the zoo.
Special tutors give additional lessons to children who are weak at school. These lessons are quite successful. Some children and youngsters from SOS Children's Village Qodsaya regularly visit elderly people in homes in order to cheer them up. They call themselves the "Happy Group".
In 1986, an SOS Youth Facility was set up at Sahnaya, 20 km from Damascus and 35 km from the SOS Children's Village. It consists of three flats for up to 17 young people and the educator's flat. With only one educator to take care of them, the youngsters are quite independent and have to take responsibility for their lives. For youngsters from the SOS Children's Villages, moving to an SOS Youth Facility is usually the first step towards an independent life. SOS mothers, educators and village directors prepare the youngsters very carefully for this important step in their lives. Young people usually stay at the SOS Youth Facility until they have finished their education or training and found a job. This takes four years on average.