An SOS Family (mother, aunt and SOS siblings) at SOS Children's Villages' 500th village - Cali, Colombia

March 31, 2010: On March 24, SOS officially inaugurated its 500th Children's Village-in Cali, Colombia, one of the 132 countries in which the charity operates. SOS-Cali was built in the barrio Prado del Sur, one of Cali's poorest neighborhoods. The SOS Children's Village contains 14 family homes for more than 120 children.

Giving family-based care -- warm SOS homes, loving SOS mothers, an education, and health care -- to children who are without parental care has been the mission of SOS Children's Villages for more than 60 years. The city of Cali, in southwestern Colombia, has become the destination for a growing number of families fleeing drug violence and unemployment in other regions of the country. More than half of Cali residents live in poverty.

The children who grow up in SOS's new village in Cali will have the benefits of a safe, supportive environment in which to reach their full potential.

Eager to Show Off Their New Village

Children play at SOS Children's Villages - Cali, in Colombia

Attending SOS-Cali's opening ceremony was Helmut Kutin, president of SOS Children's Villages, and a number of Colombian and SOS leaders in the region. The largest block of guests came from the village itself: SOS mothers and aunts, SOS co-workers, and children, together with families from the surrounding neighborhood.

After the ceremony the children performed local songs and dances. They then proudly led guests around the village. Taking their visitors' hands, the boys and girls led them to explore every nook and cranny of the spanking new facilities.

SOS Children's Villages Has Years of History Helping Colombia's Children

Two girls - SOS Children's Villages - Cali, in Colombia

SOS Children's Villages has been offering loving homes to Colombian children for almost 40 years. The drug trade and civil unrest have produced many children whose parents have died or are no longer able to care for them.

Colombia is now home to six SOS Children's Villages. The organization's full complement of schools and training and counseling centers includes a social center in the capital, Bogatá, that prepares indigent mothers and children to live independent lives. SOS also runs a vocational center near the town of Armeno that trains rural young people in organic farming.

You can give a Colombian child hope and the chance to live a happy, productive life. Please, make a donation to SOS Children's Villages.