![]() | |
Formation | 1949 |
---|---|
Founder | Hermann Gmeiner |
Type | International NGO |
Legal status | Active |
Purpose | Humanitarian |
Headquarters | Innsbruck, Austria |
President | Dereje Wordofa |
Website | www |
SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit international development organization headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria. The organization provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to families facing difficulties and supports children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it. The organization also protects their interests and rights around the world. [1] [2] [3] [4] Today, SOS Children's Villages is active in more than 130 countries and territories worldwide. [5] [6]
SOS Children’s Villages offers alternative care options for children and young people.
Additionally, SOS Children’s Villages advocates together with – and on behalf of – children and young people who have lost parental care or are at risk of losing it.
SOS Children's Villages relies on contributions from governments and private donors. [7] In 2017, the organization's 350 institutional partnership contracts totaled more than €31 million in institutional funds implemented. Funding from foundations and lotteries totaled nearly €48 million, and corporate partnerships provided more than €49 million in support for SOS Children's Villages globally. [5] The organization was awarded the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize [8] in 2002, and the Princess of Asturias Award of Concord in 2016. [9]
The Second World War resulted in many children becoming homeless and orphaned. Hermann Gmeiner (23 June 1919 – 26 April 1986), who himself participated in the war as an Austrian soldier, founded the first SOS Children's Village in Imst in the Austrian Federal State of Tyrol in 1949 together with Maria Hofer, Josef Jestl, Ludwig Kögel, Herbert Pfanner, and Hedwig Weingartner. [10] Originally, the SOS Children's Village was established to look after the orphans of the Second World War. But later the organization eventually started looking after other children who had experienced abandonment, neglect, and abuse. [10]
In the second half of the 20th century, the organization spread all over Europe. In 1959, SOS Children's Villages national associations were established in Italy, France, and Germany, and in the same year, the first SOS Children's Villages Youth Facility was founded in Innsbruck, Austria. The first caregiver for SOS Children's Villages was the Austrian Maria Weber (1919–2011). This first patron was Béatrice von Boch-Galhau (1914–2011). She financed the first SOS Children's Villages programme in Germany (Hilbringen / Saar) with her private assets and she used her political and business connections to promote the idea. As the organization grew, the umbrella organization SOS-Kinderdorf International was established to oversee all the national associations in the world in 1960. In the same year, the first SOS Children's Villages organization in South America was founded in Uruguay. In 1963, the organization reached Asia with the first programmes established in North Korea and India. Seven years later, the organization founded programmes in Africa in the Republic of Ivory Coast, Kenya, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. [10] In North America, the first programme was established in 1991 in the United States. Today, there are now more than 570 SOS Children's Villages programmes present in 135 countries and territories. [11]
In 2006, the "Colegio Internacional SOS Hermann Gmeiner", in Santa Ana, Costa Rica, re-opened as the United World College of Costa Rica, becoming the 11th United World College and the only UWC in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although no longer operating under the auspices of the SOS Children's Villages, the college continues to have a relationship with the organization, including a program of full scholarships for SOS Children's Villages students, with more than 50 SOS Children's Villages students having attended and graduated from the school. [12] [13] [14]
Hermann Gmeiner was the SOS Children's Villages president until 1985 when he was succeeded by Helmut Kutin. Helmut Kutin, born in 1941 in Bolzano, Italy, who was one of the first children admitted in SOS Austria, led the organization SOS Children's Villages International for 27 years after which in 2012, he was succeeded by Siddhartha Kaul, born in 1951 in Pilani, India. [15] [16]
Each 118 national SOS Children's Villages association carries out the international organizations’ missions, protocols, and policies. Regional offices guide this work and provide fundraising, marketing, and technical assistance to country offices as needed. Overall management and administration of the organization takes place at the headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria. The highest decision-making body is the General Assembly responsible for electing the President, Vice-President, and other members of the International Senate. Guiding and monitoring of all SOS’ work is the responsibility of the International Senate made up of 22 members. They establish policies, formulate policy changes, and procedural guidelines. The International Senate's work is coordinated by the Management Council, comprising eight representatives from member associations chaired by the President. The Management Council makes recommendations for Senate decisions, approves work plans developed by the Management Team, and defines the federation's targets. The General Secretariat comprises the international offices in Austria, and other regional offices responsible for implementing strategic decisions, developing and monitoring the organization's quality standards, and representing the organization in international communications and forums.
The organization follows three international frameworks that serve as guidelines for their work. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) adopted in 1989 is a human rights treaty that sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of children. The UN Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children adopted in 2009 provides a framework for governments to acknowledge and deliver alternative care to children growing up without adequate parental care. [17] And the UN Sustainable Development Goal adopted in 2015 and valid until 2030 in which SOS Children's Villages work focuses mainly on children and families living in vulnerable circumstances.
In 2017, the organization launched the No Child Should Grow Up Alone campaign which aims to emphasize research showing that 1 in 10 children (220 million) worldwide is growing up alone. The campaign is based on global research called the 'Care Effect' claiming that children growing up without adequate parental care are particularly vulnerable to different forms of human rights violations such as child labor, violence, and sex trafficking. [18]
The report concluded that:
"If we provide care for today's children in vulnerable circumstances, giving them the foundation they need for learning and developing life skills, we stand a better chance of building a better future for the world” [19]
In 2012, the organization launched the Care For ME! Campaign to encourage research and assessment on alternative child care and to advocate the need to protect the human rights of children from various violations committed against them. Participating countries need to assess whether their national alternative care system complies with the UN Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children. [20]
In 2009, the organization launched the "I Matter" campaign to improve legislation surrounding the practice on leaving care. The aim is to support youth ageing out of care in their transition toward independence. [21]
SOS Children's Villages is present in over 130 countries and territories around the world. These are listed below by region. SOS Children's Villages organizations in these countries provide active support to children, young people and families. Exceptions are countries marked with an asterisk (*), in which SOS Children's Villages maintains representative offices which focus on fundraising and building awareness. [22]
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
In January 2018, the branch of the association in Ethiopia was accused of supporting Islam, including forcible conversion of children. [28] The organization denies the allegations but does admit that a mosque (now closed) had been built on SOS land, contrary to policy. [29]
The first prominent supporter was the German-British businesswoman Béatrice von Boch-Galhau, wife of the largest shareholder of the ceramic manufacturer Villeroy & Boch. She became friends with the at-the-time unknown Hermann Gmeiner. In 1959, she employed some of her private fortune to pay for the first Kinderdorf in Germany located in Merzig Hilbringen. She also used her husband's political connections to promote the SOS Kinderdorf idea which was first meeting resistance from the local majors.
Prominent supporters include Nelson Mandela; the Dalai Lama; international footballers Kakha Kaladze, Andriy Shevchenko, Vincent Kompany, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cesc Fàbregas and Javier Zanetti; opera singer Anna Netrebko; writer Henning Mankell; Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters; French writer and actress Anny Dupérey; Sarah, Duchess of York; English Child Actress Georgie Henley; former model Princess Salimah Aga Khan; actress and singer Cher; businessman and television host Mike Holmes; Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and entertainer June Carter Cash; and Johnny Cash whose memorial fund is towards the work of SOS Children's Villages worldwide. [ citation needed ] The organisation received the 2002 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. [30]
SOS Children's Villages also receive significant funds through Genworth Financial's Putts4Charity initiative, which they run on golf's European Tour. In November 2012, the initiative reached €1 million in total money raised since 2007.
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusive. There may be substance abuse or mental illness in the biological home, or the parent may simply be unwilling to care for the child. The legal responsibility for the support of abandoned children differs from country to country, and within countries. Government-run orphanages have been phased out in most developed countries during the latter half of the 20th century but continue to operate in many other regions internationally. It is now generally accepted that orphanages are detrimental to the emotional wellbeing of children, and government support goes instead towards supporting the family unit.
SOS Children's Villages UK, is an international children's charity based in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. It is part of the international federation SOS Children's Villages – the largest international charity dedicated to the care of children who have lost parental care.
The Children's Rights Movement is a historical and modern movement committed to the acknowledgment, expansion, and/or regression of the rights of children around the world. This act laid several constitutional laws for the growth of a child's mental and physical health.. It began in the early part of the last century and has been an effort by government organizations, advocacy groups, academics, lawyers, lawmakers, and judges to construct a system of laws and policies that enhance and protect the lives of children. While the historical definition of child has varied, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child asserts that "A child is any human being below the age of eighteen years, unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier." There are no definitions of other terms used to describe young people such as "adolescents", "teenagers" or "youth" in international law.
The school UWC Red Cross Nordic, formerly known as Red Cross Nordic United World College, was founded in 1995, located in Norway. It is the ninth member of the today 18 United World Colleges, others having been established in Wales, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy, India, Singapore, Swaziland, United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Germany, Armenia, China, Thailand, Japan, and Tanzania. Patrons of the college and the movement include Nelson Mandela, Queen Noor of Jordan and Queen Sonja of Norway. The first college, UWC Atlantic College, was established by the German educationalist Kurt Hahn to promote international understanding and peace. Students are selected by UWC National Committees or selection contacts in over 150 countries on merit and many receive full scholarships. After the two-year education following the guidelines of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program students usually go on to higher education. UWC students are eligible to participate in the Shelby Davis Scholarship program, which funds undergraduate studies for UWC students at many US universities. The school is led by the Rektor, Pelham Lindfield Roberts, Deputy Rektor, Natasha Lambert and the Board of Governors, currently chaired by Elizabeth Sellevold.
The Austrian Social Service is part of the Austrian Service Abroad founded by Dr. Andreas Maislinger in 1998. It offers the possibility to substitute the compulsory military service in Austria with a 10-months service abroad and provides a platform for volunteering services.
Imst is a town in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. It lies on the River Inn in western Tyrol, some 50 kilometres west of Innsbruck and at an altitude of 828 metres above sea level. With a current population (2018) of 10,504, Imst is the administrative centre of Imst District.
Hermann Gmeiner was an Austrian philanthropist and the founder of SOS Children's Villages.
The United World College Costa Rica, located in the Santa Ana suburb of San José, is the 11th college in the UWC movement and the first to offer instruction in both English and Spanish. The College, formerly the "Colegio Internacional SOS Hermann Gmeiner," re-opened as a United World College in August 2006, and graduated its first UWC-admitted applicants in 2008.
SOS Hermann Gmeiner College located in Mirpur-13 of the capital Dhaka city of Bangladesh is an educational institution. It was established in 1986 by the SOS-Kinderdorf International, headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria, a non-government organization. The foundation stone was laid by former President of Bangladesh, Hussain Muhammad Ershad. In 2010, the college was ranked among the top ten best institutions of the country for its academic performance in Secondary School Certificate Examination.
SOS Children's Villages - USA is part of SOS Children's Villages, the world's largest nongovernmental organization dedicated to the care of orphaned and abandoned children. SOS Children's Villages – USA has been in operation since 1969 and has 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Headquartered in Washington D.C., SOS Children's Villages - USA strives to create awareness and build support for SOS villages around the world.
SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, Faridabad was founded in 1986 by Shri J.N Kaul, the then President, SOS Children's Villages. The school is one of the oldest in Faridabad. The school campus is situated in sector 29 near district police lines and was designed by a German architect.
Jagan Nath Kaul was the founder, president, and patron of SOS Children's Village of India. SOS CVI provides a home to almost 15,000 children in 34 children's villages, located in various parts of the country. In addition to the children's villages, SOS provides indirect care to children through its 122 allied projects such as kindergartens, schools and social, medical and vocational training centres throughout India. SOS CVI provides direct and indirect care to almost 200,000 (200,000) children in the country.
SOS Hermann Gmeiner Secondary School, Gandaki, established in 1982 as a Day Care center, is one among the two schools located in Pokhara, Nepal. It is inaugurated on 6 June 1987. The school runs classes from Nursery to Higher Secondary. It also provides various scholarships to the children of local community children. The school is providing the Higher Education in the science stream. There are 781 students and out of which 644 students come from local community. It is under SOS Kinderdorf International, a not-for-profit organisation.
Deinstitutionalisation is the process of reforming child care systems and closing down orphanages and children's institutions, finding new placements for children currently resident and setting up replacement services to support vulnerable families in non-institutional ways. It became common place in many developed countries in the post war period. It has been taking place in Eastern Europe since the fall of communism and is now encouraged by the EU for new entrants. It is also starting to take hold in Africa and Asia although often at individual institutions rather than statewide. New systems generally cost less than those they replace as many more children are kept within their own family. Although these goals have been made internationally, they are actively being working towards as reform and new reforms are put into practice slowly as is fit for each country.
Shobhana Ranade is an Indian social worker and Gandhian, known for her services towards her cause of destitute women and children. The Government of India honoured her in 2011, with the Padma Bhushan—the third highest civilian award—for her services to the society.
The Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS), based at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and is an organisation that supports the rights and well-being of children and young people and teenagers.
SOS Hermann Gmeiner Higher Secondary School Itahari is a school located in Itahari Sub Metropolis Nepal. The School spanned in 8 Bigha area comprises Children Village (Orphanage), Community center and Higher Secondary School. The school students have got facilities of an open auditorium and a playground in the school premises. The School and children village facility was established under the global philanthropic partnership of SOS Children Villages established by Hermann Gmeiner an Austrian philanthropist.
SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College is a school in Tema, Ghana. It is a selective preparatory college that educates students from across Africa as well as from North America, Europe, and Asia.
The Miracle Foundation is an international nonprofit organization supporting orphaned children in India and the United States. The organization has a stated goal of supporting orphaned children, bringing change to reduce the need for orphanages, and ensuring that the rights of orphaned children are followed, as laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.