Latvia gained independence from the former Soviet Union in September 1991. In the same year SOS-Kinderdorf International became active in the country on the grounds of the lack of a social welfare system. However, it proved exceedingly difficult to find a suitable site and therefore, it was five years before construction of SOS Children's Village Islice could start. By the end of June 1997 the SOS Children's Village and its attached SOS Kindergarten were completed and the first families were able to move in shortly after. The Latvian SOS Children's Village Association was founded that same year.
Due to a lack of funds, the Islice council was barely able to finance its state schools and kindergartens. The Latvian SOS Children's Village Association therefore, promised to give financial support to the local primary school for a few years. The school was able to buy computers with this money. This was the only school in the country able to make such an investment. Due to the great need for long-term family-based care, two additional family houses were built at SOS Children's Village Islice in October 2002. In 2004 SOS Children's Villages Latvia started to operate Strengthening Programmes, which enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. To achieve this, SOS Children's Villages Latvia works directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children, in cooperation with local authorities and other service providers.
In 2005 it was acknowledged that a second SOS Children’s Village in the north of Latvia is necessary, and corresponding construction works started in Valmiera. In the middle of 2006, the first SOS Youth Facility for the youths who had outgrown the SOS Children’s Village Islice was set up in town of Jelgava. Here, youths are accompanied into independence step by step. In January 2007, the second Family Strengthening Programme began in Valmiera, where the SOS Children’s Village was finished in June, and officially inaugurated in August 2007. Two more Family Strengthening Programmes started in 2008 in Olaine and Riga. Another SOS Youth Facility was opened in 2008 as well – this time in a small rural town Iecava, just about 20 km from Islice SOS Village.
At present there are two SOS Children's Villages in Latvia, one SOS Kindergarten, two SOS Youth Facilities and three SOS Social Centres (family strengthening programmes).
Website of SOS Children's Villages Latvia
(available in English and Latvian)