About SOS Children's Villages

OUR HISTORY

One person can make a difference.

Following the devastation of World War II, Hermann Gmeiner, a child welfare worker, saw the suffering of children who were orphaned by the war. He founded SOS Children’s Villages and raised money to build the first village in Imst, Austria, in 1949, as a place where children could grow up in a stable, family-like setting with a supportive community.

More than 70 years later, SOS Children’s Villages now works in 136 countries, operates more than 540 villages and has impacted an estimated 13 million people.

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OUR APPROACH

Over the past seven decades, SOS Children’s Villages has expanded its village-based model to include a fully comprehensive approach of helping children, families and communities succeed long-term. We strengthen families to prevent child abandonment, provide loving homes for children who lack parental care, educate and empower children to reach their full potential and advocate for children’s rights so their voices can be heard.

We have a long history of building effective partnerships with governments, international organizations and community-based partners to provide individualized support to families so they can give their children the best possible start in life.

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