SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
In March 1980, Hermann Gmeiner's idea found its way from India to Sri Lanka via the SOS-Kinderdorf International representative, Siddhartha Kaul. A government agreement was signed the same year and by November 1982, the first SOS children and their mothers were able to move into SOS Children's Village Piliyandala, near the capital, Colombo.
Because of the great need for adequate accommodation for orphaned and abandoned children on the one hand, and the lack of funds in the country itself on the other, a number of SOS Children's Villages and ancillary facilities were built. The SOS Kindergartens attached to the SOS Children's Villages are open to both children from the SOS Children's Villages and children from the neighbourhoods and are very much appreciated by the local population. In 1983, an agreement was signed with the education ministry to construct an SOS Hermann Gmeiner School near SOS Children's Village Piliyandala. Two years later this school was able to open its doors. So far it is the only SOS Hermann Gmeiner School in the country and gives children from the vicinity an excellent education.
To help the working mothers from the neighbourhood, SOS Social Centres were soon set up to provide day-care-facilities and medical treatment. The youths who have outgrown the SOS Children's Villages have been able to live in SOS Youth Facilities since 1991, where they learn to stand on their own to feet and are given help in finding jobs. The SOS Vocational Training Centre in Malpotha was built by SOS youths themselves in 1991. Here they receive all-round training in agriculture. In 1995 SOS Children's Villages of Sri Lanka spontaneously started an SOS Emergency Relief Programme, operating a refugee camp for six months in the north of the country. In 2003, SOS Children’s Villages started to operate Family Strengthening Programmes, which enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. To achieve this, SOS Children’s Villages works directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children, in cooperation with local authorities and other service providers. In 2003 a permanent SOS Social Centre was established in Batticaloa, located in the troubled northeast of the country. After the Tsunami-disaster in December 2004 a comprehensive SOS Emergency Relief Programme was started in the east and southern coast of Sri Lanka, which reaching from immediate emergency relief measures to rebuilding homes. As a consequence SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka sees the urgent need for further two SOS Social Centres in the affected areas.
At present there are five SOS Children's Villages in Sri Lanka, five SOS Youth Facilities, eight SOS Kindergartens, one SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, four SOS Vocational Training Centres, eight SOS Social Centres, two SOS Medical Centres and one SOS Emergency Relief Programme.
Contact:
SOS Children's Villages of Sri Lanka
P.O.Box 5
Kesbewa
Piliyandala
Sri Lanka
tel. +94-11-270 38 90
fax +94-11-270 23 21