The vision of establishing SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka turned into a reality in 1979 when Mrs. Malsiri Dias, former Head of the Child Secretariat wrote a letter of enquiry regarding the need to build the Villages in Sri Lanka. Following an assessment visit from Mr. Helmet Kutin, former Deputy Secretary General and Delegate for Asia, and current Honorary President of SOS Children’s Villages International, the very first SOS Children’s Village in Sri Lanka opened its doors to children in Piliyandala in 1981.
Today, there are a total of six SOS Children’s Villages – located in Piliyandala, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle, Anuradhapura, Monaragala, and Jaffna – providing the best alternative care for children who have lost parental care due to various reasons including, but not limited to financial instability, family breakdown, psycho-social factors, poverty. SOS Children’s villages uses a unique holistic care model known as ‘Family Like Care’ to offer children a loving home, a caring mother, supportive siblings, and a safe community to grow up in.
Throughout its 40-year journey, SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka has contributed immensely to the Sri Lankan community with over 50,000 individuals who have been positively impacted through a range of social programmes.
Facilitating education for underprivileged children
SOS Kindergartens
Early childhood education is a critical part in shaping a child’s life. SOS Kindergartens provide free pre-school education to children, both, in the village and the community who are from poverty-stricken families. These kindergartens also give an opportunity for children at SOS to mingle and build strong relationships with the children from surrounding communities.
Impact à To date, SOS Kindergartens have prepared over 8,200 young minds for school.
SOS Hermann Gmeigner School
The year 1985 saw the beginning of the Hermann Gmeigner School, which was built on the land donated by the Sri Lankan Government. Managed by the Ministry of Education in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka, the school has a capacity of 1000 students and has provided free education for children and youth to have a better future.
Impact à To date, over 27,335 children have managed to complete their education at the SOS Hermann Gmeigner School.
Preparing today’s youth for a better tomorrow
SOS Youth Care
When children in SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka grow up and reach adolescence, they are sent to SOS Youth Homes which are either located within the children’s village or in close proximity to it. Guided by highly specialized SOS staff, these youth are trained with skills and qualities needed to become independent and successful adults. These homes also provide specialized youth counselling programmes to address the psychological, emotional, and social needs which all youngsters typically go through during this age.
Impact à To date, over 1,400 youth have been successfully integrated into society through the SOS Youth Homes.
SOS Vocational Training Centres
SOS Vocational Training Centres in Sri Lanka provide free vocational training for youth of poverty-stricken families who are unable to pave themselves a suitable career path. These training centres will help such youth become equipped with a vocational skill, which will allow them to support their own families by seeking employment or being self-employed. Currently, there are four SOS Vocational Training Centres located in Monaragala, Malpotha, Jaffna, and Anuradhapura.
Impact à To date, over 2,170 young people have built successful careers for themselves through the SOS Vocational Training Centres.
Keeping families together
The SOS Family Strengthening programme identifies poverty-stricken families in the community, in which children face the risk of losing their parental care due to the destitute situation of such families. These families are then enrolled into a five-year programme in which they are taught various skills and offered knowledge to help manage their families and rise out of poverty. Once enrolled, all costs of education of children in these families are borne by SOS Children’s Villages throughout the five-year period.
Impact à To date, over 2,700 families in Sri Lanka have bettered their lives and the lives of their children through the nine SOS Family Strengthening Centres located across the country. As a result, nearly 8,000 children from these families have been saved from a potentially bleak future if not for the intervention of SOS.