Inside the SOS Children’s Village Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

For over 60 years, SOS Children’s Villages have been providing loving homes for orphaned and abandoned children. In every SOS Village in 132 countries, children grow up in a family living in close proximity to other SOS families (The Village), each headed by an SOS Mother. The children receive everything they need to reach their full potential in life.

The SOS Children's Village Addis Abeba was opened in 1981 in Addis Abeba, the capital of Ethiopia. In this video (the first part of a four part series), an SOS mother and two SOS children share their feelings about Village life.

Every SOS Children’s Village also serves as an anchor of support to the local community. Children and families in the neighboring areas attend SOS schools, medical clinics, and social centers. And, SOS Family Strengthening Programs (FSPs) aim to keep vulnerable families together who are threatened by HIV/AIDS, extreme poverty and other socioeconomic challenges for that break families apart. The next three video clips show SOS programs that serve the wider community.

Make a Child’s Dreams come true. Help build more SOS Children’s Villages for children in need. Learn more about becoming an SOS Global Village Builder.

SOS Ethiopia Alumna Talks About Core Values: Education and Service to Others

Strong family ties provide a strong foundation for life and instill the values of education and hard work. We all know that education is the key to the future. That's why SOS Children's Villages all over the world provide children with the gift of knowledge through its kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and vocational training centers.

In this video, Etagegn Taddesse, a current student at the University of Kentucky and a graduate of the SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College in Ghana (a special secondary school that preps students for university) discusses the values she learned from her SOS Mother and the relationships she has built with her SOS siblings.

You can help support SOS Children's Villages to provide quality education and the sense of responsibility to children around the world. Learn more about becoming an SOS Global Village Builder.

SOS Community Center in Ethiopia Strives To Strengthen Families At Risk

SOS Community Centers, also called SOS Social Centers, serve SOS children growing up in the SOS Children’s Village as well as families in the larger local community. Community Centers help to prevent child abandonment through FSP programs (Family Strengthening).

In this video, a mother talks about the child care services and support she receives from SOS and how it impacts her ability to keep her home. The SOS Community Center here in Addis Abeba is also used as both a day care and a health clinic, offering basic medical care, medicine and HIV/AIDS Testing.

You can help SOS Children’s Villages serve more vulnerable families struggling to make a good life for their children. Learn more about becoming an SOS Global Village Builder.

SOS Kality Vocational Training Center Gives Ethiopian Youths Hope For The Future

SOS Vocational Training Centers in Africa enable youths to learn a trade that will allow them to secure their future independence.

In this video, the Village Director of the SOS Children’s Village in Addis Abeba talks about the opportunities and dreams made possible through SOS Vocational Training programs. Interested youths from all over Ethiopia may undergo a three-year, high-grade professional training in carpentry, car mechanics and metal work. The education at the SOS Vocational Training and Production Center Kality aims at providing Ethiopian youths with relevant technical skills that will enable them to succeed in their local economy.

After the completion of secondary school, many SOS youths go on to receive Vocational Training at SOS Vocational Training Centers around the world. Help SOS build more vocational training programs for youths and adults hungry for the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families. Become an SOS Global Village Builder.