SOS USA CEO Neil Ghosh writes for Stanford Social Innovation Review

An estimated 220 million children worldwide—one in 10—live without parental care or are at risk of losing it. Without child welfare support, countless orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children grow up in child-led households or neglectful, abusive institutional settings. They fall prey to exploitation, suffer developmental damage and lack adequate life skills: just some of the devastating risks and challenges they’re forced to bear.

How can we cure this epidemic?

Real, lasitng impact requires a comprehensive, multi-dimensional approach that tackles the issues from all angles.

And SOS Children’s Villages does just that.

In “Supporting Children Who Lack Parental Care From All Sides,” published by Stanford Social Innovation Review, SOS Children’s Villages USA CEO Neil Ghosh emphasizes the importance of a well-rounded approach to child welfare. “A holistic model—one that is rooted in the family unit, and that integrates care structures, education, and job training—can provide a foundation for children that lasts a lifetime,” Ghosh explains.

The SOS approach consists of four main areas:

• Prevention: Strengthening vulnerable families and communities to prevent them from falling apart in the first place.
• Long-term care: Providing loving homes to children who have nowhere else to go.
• Education: Empowering children to break the cycle of poverty and build a successful future.
• Advocacy: Ensuring that children’s rights are fulfilled and they have the opportunities they deserve, in childhood and beyond.

“To be effective in the long term,” Ghosh explains, “alternative care programs need to encompass all aspects of a child’s life to provide a seamless sense of security and allow them to develop skills they will need in their adult lives.”

By confronting underlying systemic problems, satisfying the present need for care, and investing in long-term success, we offer children and families a fighting chance at life.

Read more here.