SOS Children's Villages

SOS Children's Villages is active in 134 countries and territories worldwide. The variety of this international work is brought together by the umbrella organisation SOS-Kinderdorf International, which unites all of the autonomous national associations. Its head office is in Innsbruck, Austria.

SOS Kinderdorf is the largest child welfare organization in the world and has so far established over 2,310 projects, with the number steadily increasing. Many of the facilities are community projects such as schools, medical centres, agricultural projects, vocational training and production centres. SOS Children's Villages is assisting more than 330,330 children and families through its family strengthening programmes.

In all countries where SOS Children's Villages operates, the aim is to form a national association which is its own legal entity, with its own statutes and Board of Directors. Common for all of them is membership of the international umbrella association, and the fact that their Board of Directors work on an honorary basis. Each member association has to comply with the international statutes and principles for education and child-care of SOS-Kinderdorf International.

Statistics of facilities and beneficiaries worldwide

2310 facilities in 134 countries and territories

Objective
The idea of the SOS Children's Village is an important milestone in the development of a modern approach towards the welfare of children.

Deprived of their natural parents, children are placed in an environment which is as close as possible to a natural home. SOS Children's Villages meet this need by providing them with loving care, security, higher education and job-training. This allows them to live normal lives and a sense of confidence is instilled in them that develops their full potential.

The organisation is working towards the goal of one day being able to provide shelter to every deserving child in the country. This is a realistic target as the organisation admits only those children who are either complete orphans or, categorised as 'social' orphans. Social orphans are the result of the mother being remarried or having an incurable disease or mental illness and, as a consequence, being unable to provide for the children.