SOS Children's Villages

SOS Children's Village is a non-governmental, independent, non-denominational organization that is active in 133 countries. The legal form of SOS Children's Villages is different from country to country and often an association or a foundation. The Federation has its headquarters in Innsbruck.

While orphans live mainly in the SOS Children's Villages in developing and emerging countries reaching SOS Children's Village in industrialized countries today by the majority so-called " social orphans ", ie children whose biological parents with their education can not perceive, and in the mediation of the Youth Office SOS Children's Villages are housed. SOS stands for " Societas Socialis ", which loosely translated " social community " is. The seat of both the Austrian and the international organization is in Innsbruck in Tyrol. In addition, there is in every country in the SOS Children's Villages is active, a national organization.

The SOS Children's Village Association, SOS Children 's Villages, Hermann Gmeiner Fund Germany eV, and SOS Children 's Villages, Hermann Gmeiner Foundation are signatories to the initiative Transparent civil society.

Model

"We provide a family for children in need. We help them shape their own futures. We contribute to the development of their communities. "

Four principles characterize the SOS Children's Village: Every child needs a mother and grows most naturally with brothers and sisters in a house within a village community.

History

The Hermann Gmeiner's idea to give orphaned and abandoned children in the postwar period a new home, was converted in 1949 with the founding of the Association SOS Children's Village and the establishment of the first SOS Children's Village in Imst in Tyrol. Modelled on the resulting mainly for war orphans 1944-1946 Swiss Children's Village in Trogen ( Appenzell Outer Rhodes ), which was named after the Swiss philanthropists and educators " Pestalozzi Children's Village ". Was opened the first house ( " house of peace " ) on 15 April 1951. Hermann Gmeiner invested his entire fortune of 600 shillings in the first appeals that urged to support the club on a monthly basis with a shilling. These calls were an unexpected resonance. First SOS mother was the Burgenländerin Maria Weber (1919-2011), who took over in the second Children's Village in Austria in the background Brühl 1957.

The first important patron was the German industrialist wife Beatrice von Boch- Galhau that the first children's village in Germany in 1959 financed from their private wealth and used their political and business connections to support the idea of ​​running. So the children's village in Merzig- Hilbringen could be built despite initial political concerns together with the community Merzig thanks to the cooperation with District Linicus. Beatrice von Boch succeeded Wilhelmine Lübke - invite and several politicians to inaugurate the Children's Village, which Hermann Gmeiner public recognition for his time still unknown children 's village project got - the wife of the then Federal President.

The commitment of the SOS Children's Village was long exclusively to the construction of the SOS Children's Villages. To date, the SOS symbol of a safe space in which children can grow, where this space is elsewhere been denied.

1954 in Munich, the first German SOS Club was founded, SOS Children's Villages Germany with headquarters in Munich. SOS Children's Village in Germany today mainly deals with the 15 German SOS Children's Villages and many other extra facilities. Surplus funds are invested in the international SOS facilities. In 1963, in Korea, the first non-European SOS Children's Village in construction went, saw the founding of SOS Children 's Villages, Hermann Gmeiner Fund Germany. This second German SOS patrons financed to date SOS projects around the world.

60 years after its inception, SOS Children's Village a global children's charity, which in 132 countries, children, adolescents and families with nearly 1,900 facilities such as kindergartens, schools, youth communities, vocational training centers, social centers, medical centers, emergency relief programs, and over 500 SOS Children's Villages helps.

In 1985 Helmut Kutin was appointed in his lifetime Hermann Gmeiner of this as his successor. The Presidency took over after the death of cutin Gmeiner in 1986. Cutin from 1986 until July 2012 President of the umbrella organization SOS Children's Villages International. His successor in 2012 Siddhartha Kaul was elected.

In 1995, was classified " in the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations NGO with consultative status ( category II) " SOS Children's Villages International as. On 19 June 2009 SOS Children's Village celebrated its 60 - year anniversary with a big celebration in Imst.

Financing of Funding

The Munich-based Friends of SOS Children's Villages is the world's largest SOS patrons worldwide. It pays for about half of all international SOS facilities. Together with SOS SOS booster clubs and foundations around the world are responsible, the two German SOS clubs for the construction and maintenance of the SOS projects on four continents. The revenue of the organization shall consist of donations, sponsor contributions, gifts, inheritances, business collaborations and public in large part means.

According to the performance reports of the two German SOS clubs, the donations amounted in 2009 as follows: SOS Children's Villages worldwide: 133 million euros, SOS Children's Villages Germany: 117 million euros

In Austria, the organization has received the seal of approval donations. The two German SOS Children 's Villages associations are carriers of the donation seal of the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI ).

SOS Children's Villages in the world

According to SOS Children's Villages worldwide there are the following SOS facilities:

• Children's Villages: 545 ( 21 under construction)
• Youth communities: 392
• Kindergartens: 229
• Schools: 186 ( 8 in construction)
• Training centers: 103 ( 5 under construction)
• Social centers: 607 ( 10 in construction)
• Medical Centers: 72
• Emergency relief programs: 13

The organization currently serves approximately 1.1 million children and their families worldwide.

Asia

In South Korea, the first non-European SOS Children's Village was built in 1963. Today in Asia 128 SOS Children's Villages and 350 SOS auxiliary equipment. About 224,000 people get there to help themselves. In India, containing the world's highest number of SOS Children's Villages, 39 of which exclusively Tibetan refugee children living in 8 Children's Villages.

America and the Caribbean

Almost at the same time to Asia began in 1963 and the commitment of the SOS Children's Village in South America, where in Argentina the first SOS Children's Village of the continent was formed. Today there are in South America and the Caribbean 122 SOS Children's Villages and 330 SOS auxiliary equipment. In El Alto ( Bolivia), we find the highest SOS Children's Village of the world ( 4000 m above sea level).

Africa

In 1970, the first African SOS Children's Village in the Ivory Coast. Today, there are 46 African countries a total of 134 SOS Children's Villages and 300 SOS auxiliary equipment.

Europe

• In Austria eleven SOS Children's Villages were built since 1951.
• In Germany there are 15 SOS Children's Villages. The first SOS Children's Village in Germany was built in 1956 in Diessen ( Bavaria). In 2005, the first municipal Children's Villages of Europe in Berlin -Moabit was opened. There, the SOS families live in apartments in the middle of a big city. At SOS Children's Villages Germany also includes facilities such as village communities for people with disabilities, vocational training centers for the education of socially disadvantaged young people, SOS mothers centers, youth group homes and outpatient youth aids.
• The first Eastern SOS Children 's Village was built in 1970 in the Czechoslovak Doubí.
• The Foundation SOS Children's Village was founded in Switzerland in 1964. It takes over the financing of children's villages and ancillary equipment in the world, operates in Switzerland itself but not a village because there is the older and serving as a model institution Pestalozzi Children's home.
• In Hungary, the first home in 1983 in Battonya was built near the Romanian border. 1990 went in Kecskemét, and shortly thereafter in Kőszeg two other villages in operation. In addition, there are four SOS Youth Facilities, one SOS Kindergarten and an SOS Social Centre.

Awards

• The Children's Village mothers were awarded the 2005 Women's World Award.
• 2009 accepted Kutin, President of SOS Children's Villages International, the Save the World Award.