The founder of SOS Children's Villages The Netherlands, Mrs Yvonne Meyer-Praxmarer, met Hermann Gmeiner in 1964, and founded SOS-Kinderdorpen one year later. Born in Austria, Mrs Meyer-Praxmarer moved to the Netherlands in 1948 to complete an encyclopaedia of organic chemistry. She was appointed “Officier in de Orde van Oranje Nassau” by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix.
In 1999, a partnership was established between SOS Kinderdorpen and the Royal Haarlem Football Club (HFC), the oldest football club in the Netherlands, and one of the foremost amateur clubs in the country today.
At the start of the 21st century SOS Netherlands went through an important strategic process which gave the association a very important boost forward.
In 2005, SOS Children’s Villages was the official charity of the FIFA World Youth Championship held in The Netherlands. Campaign activities focused on the new facility to be built in Morelia, Mexico, financed by SOS Children's Villages, The Netherlands. In 2006 SOS Netherlands succeeded in signing a contract with the internationally operating company Numico. This means not only a quite important financial support for the work of SOS Children's Villages, but also a lot of local SOS associations will profit over the next few years through local activities arranged in the different countries.
SOS Children's Villages Netherlands does not run any SOS Children's Village facilities in the country. The association which is located in Amsterdam raises funds for the work of SOS Children's Villages in all parts of the world.
Website of SOS Children's Villages The Netherlands
(available in Dutch)