Emergency Relief  

Children in Conflicts and Catastrophes  

Supplies being distributed by SOS staff after an earthquake struck Peru in 2007 (Photo by F. Espinoza)
Supplies being distributed by SOS staff after an earthquake struck Peru in 2007
Help must be provided quickly, without bureaucracy and in a targeted manner in situations of crisis, war and disaster. In such traumatic situations children in particular need specific protection and intensive care. SOS Children's Villages is not a designated emergency relief organization, but in many countries it is in the position to fall back on an established infrastructure if rapid intervention is required in times of crisis. The target group of our emergency relief measures, which often turn into long-term projects, is children and families.
Children in Conflicts

Violence, whatever its form, always has a devastating effects on individual people and society as a whole. Children are subjected to extreme situations, which cause unforeseen mental and physical damage. Wars, armed conflicts, persecution and displacement remain an unacceptable reality for millions of children. Here, you can read accounts, reports, and information on the background of different points of conflict, and how SOS Children's Villages provides support for children and families that have been affected.

Children in Catastrophes

The material, medical and psychosocial care and security of children during or after disasters is the main focus of the emergency relief programs of SOS Children's Villages. When there are floods, earthquakes, fires, cold weather, famine, etc. we need to step in with humanitarian aid in many regions of the world. It is particularly important to SOS Children's Villages that children and their families not only receive care in the short term, but that support is also provided on a long-term basis.

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map of the Philippines

Powerful Quake Strikes the Philippines

February 7, 2012: An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale struck Negros Island, in the south-central Philippines, on Monday morning, February 6, local time. Thirteen people are confirmed dead from the landslides and collapsed buildings caused by the quake, whose epicenter was in a strip of sea off the island. Hundreds of residents are injured. Learn how SOS helps the Philippines with emergency aid and long-term childcare...
Ethiopia

Donkey Carts Help Families Recover in Ethiopia

February 1, 2012: It's 4:30 in the afternoon and the local water source from the Shebelle River near Gode town is crowded with children and their donkey carts. Rahmo, 12, and her younger brother finished school earlier and are helping their mother to collect a barrel of water for the family. Learn more about how SOS donkey carts provide relief in Ethiopia...
Looming Famine in West Africa Threatens Children and Families

Looming Famine in West Africa Threatens Children and Families

January 19, 2012: Millions of families, especially children, are at risk of severe malnutrition from a looming food crisis that is expected to hit Western Africa’s Sahel region as early as February. Learn more about the looming crisis...
Cyclone Slams India’s Puducherry on Eve of New Year

Cyclone Slams India’s Puducherry on Eve of New Year

January 4, 2012: Eighty-five-mile-an-hour winds struck India’s eastern coast on December 30, killing at least 47 people. The wrath of Cyclone Thane, which tore through southern India, fortunately did not harm SOS children and mothers at the SOS Children’s Village in Puducherry. SOS children and mothers safe in India...
Medical Services - SOS Children's Villages - Kenya

Supplying Key Medicines to Help Kenya’s Drought Victims

December 14, 2011: Dennis Mwaniki, a new community health nurse, has a lot on his plate. Stationed in the northern Kenyan town of Marsabit for his first nursing job, he finds himself in the middle of a three-year-drought. Read more about medical care in Kenya...