SOS Children's Villages

SOS Children’s Villages is a worldwide, independent, non-governmental social development organization that has been working to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of children since 1949. The focus of our work is the care for children without parental care and those at risk of losing the care of their parents.

SOS Children’s Villages Uganda is a locally registered Trust with a Board of Directors that oversees the different facilities, ensuring that each child receives proper care and education. In each SOS Children’s Village we give a permanent home in a family environment to vulnerable children. Each child is looked after by an SOS mother, and grows up in an SOS family with 8-10 boys and girls in a natural setting. The care given is holistic as all the children’s needs including food, clothing, education, medical services and others are met.

 
In Uganda, over last two decades the organization has grown to realize proficient child-centered programmes in Kakiri, Entebbe, Gulu and Fort Portal. Over 2500 children are being reached through alternative family based care within the children’s villages, together with our early learning centres, primary and secondary schools, medical centres for general health care, HIV/AIDS prevention and control and immunization, SOS Social Centres, and our community family outreach programmes.

SOS Children’s Village Kakiri, the first and oldest SOS Children’s Village in Uganda, was established in Kakiri in 1991. It is currently home to 200 children and youth. In addition, in Kakiri the organization operates a kindergarten, and a primary and secondary school for 600 children as well as a medical centre which supports Kakiri communities and beyond.

SOS Children’s Village Entebbe, located about 6km from the airport, is home to 120 children who live with their SOS mothers in 12 family houses.  Six hundred children are  being supported on the family strengthening programme which is our outreach programme to the community. In addition, SOS Children’s Village Entebbe has an SOS Kindergarten for up to 90 children and an SOS Medical Centre that supports the children in the SOS Children’s Village and those outside the children’s village.

SOS  Children’s Village Gulu resulted from an emergency relief programme started in 2002 which has grown into a children’s village. The purpose built children’s village opened in May 2009  and supports up to 150 children in alternative family based care. Most of the children are those born in, or rescued from captivity, orphans of war, or who have been affected by HIV/AIDS.   Through the SOS Social Centre, SOS Children’s Villages is engaged in community based programmes that reach out to over 1000 of the most vulnerable children, youth and families living within the Gulu municipality.

SOS Children’s Village Fort Portal currently exists as a family strengthening programme. The SOS Children’s Village was offically commissioned on 19th May 2009 to care for 150 children who do not have parental care and is in the process of construction.