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STORIES OF HOPE

SOS Village to small business owner

How Alejandra’s loving childhood helped her pair passion and purpose

Welcomed into SOS Children’s Villages in Peru at only two days old, all Alejandra has known is the unconditional love and support of a family.   

Thanks to compassionate people like you, Alejandra’s SOS Mother, Isabel, created a safe, nurturing environment where Alejandra and her eight SOS siblings could thrive.  

“My SOS Mother took care of me, and I’m so grateful to have her,” Alejandra said. “SOS provided me with everything: education, health, developing my social skills. Just everything.” 

With your support, Alejandra had the resources, tools and opportunities to pursue a quality education, including—her favorite—art classes. Alejandra’s sponsor knew of her artistic passion and sent special gifts for Alejandra to foster her creativity and achieve her dreams. 

“It was so exciting for me to feel important to someone who cared about me,” Alejandra said of her sponsor. “It was amazing. That kind of connection for a kid who doesn’t have a biological family? It’s important.”  

In 2020, Alejandra moved to the United States, and in 2023, she began working at an art studio in Georgia. When the owner decided to sell in early 2025, Alejandra used the funds from her Independence Fund—an account where the gifts from her sponsor were saved—to purchase the studio and achieve her dream of owning a business!  

“When I was a kid, I always told myself that the goal was to have my own business,” Alejandra said. “I was only able to buy this business because of that money from my sponsor.” 

Now Alejandra uses her studio as an inclusive community space and actively promotes SOS to customers, continuing the cycle of generosity that began with SOS partners like you. 

“I’m humble. I’m grateful,” Alejandra said. “I’m honest and loyal and hard-working. I’m all of these things because SOS raised me like that. Now, I want to provide other children with the same things I received.” 

Continue creating a ripple effect of generosity and hope that transforms the lives of children and whole communities by sponsoring a child today! 

Sponsor a Child

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Why orphanages and institutional care aren’t the answer—and what works instead

Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, loving family, surrounded by the care and support they need to thrive.  But it’s estimated that at least 2.7 million children worldwide live in institutional care—like orphanages, large-scale institutions and group homes.   Decades of research proves that the clinical style of institutional care leads to harmful, long-term effects for children. 

Equipping young people: Celebrating how YouthCan! transforms lives on World Youth Skills Day

Growing up in an SOS Children’s Village in India, Sneha was surrounded by love, encouragement and the joyful noise of her SOS siblings and SOS Mother.

But after the COVID-19 pandemic moved all of her college classes online, 18-year-old Sneha sat in her quiet dorm room, huddled in front of her computer, and suddenly felt completely alone. 

A childhood to be thankful for: Josefina’s story

At just two years old, Josefina’s life was irrevocably changed by a devastating act of domestic violence.  After her father fatally attacked her mother, he was incarcerated, leaving Josefina and her older sister grief-stricken and completely alone—without the love and protection of a parent.