The founder of SOS Children's Villages The Netherlands, Mrs Yvonne Meyer-Praxmarer, met Hermann Gmeiner in 1964, and founded SOS-Kinderdorpen one year later. Born in Austria, Mrs Meyer-Praxmarer moved to the Netherlands in 1948 to complete an encyclopaedia of organic chemistry. She was appointed “Officier in de Orde van Oranje Nassau” by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix.
In 1999, a partnership was established between SOS Kinderdorpen and the Royal Haarlem Football Club (HFC), the oldest football club in the Netherlands, and one of the foremost amateur clubs in the country today.
At the start of the 21st century SOS Netherlands went through an important strategic process which gave the association a very important boost forward.
In 2005, SOS Children’s Villages was the official charity of the FIFA World Youth Championship held in The Netherlands. Campaign activities focused on the new facility to be built in Morelia, Mexico, financed by SOS Children's Villages, The Netherlands. In 2006, the SOS Netherlands association managed to sign a contract with the international organisation "Numico". This not only meant important financial support for the worldwide SOS Children´s Village work but also, the benefit to many national SOS associations of working together with the national Numico associations.
SOS-Kinderdorpen does not operate any of its own SOS Children´s Village facilities in the Netherlands. The association, based in Amsterdam, concentrates its activities on worldwide fundraising.
Website of SOS Children's Villages The Netherlands
(available in Dutch)