In 1949, Dr. Hermann Gmeiner, an Austrian doctor who had been orphaned by his mother since he was very young, saw the high number of orphaned children, especially victims of World War II, and set up the first SOS Children's Village in Imst (Tyrol, Austria). The idea quickly spread around the world, so that SOS Children's Villages now number several hundred, in more than 135 countries, and are considered the ideal way to solve the problem of unprotected children, as they respect the most basic and natural pedagogical principles and family and social coexistence required at the beginning of life and during the fundamental period of human education.
Today there are 452 SOS Children's Villages around the world, offering a home to 46,700 children. A group of 1,240 SOS institutions (kindergartens, youth homes, social and medical centers) help more than 600,000 beneficiaries in 132 countries.
SOS Children's Villages in Guinea-Bissau
On May 21, 1994, the first group of 51 children entered the first SOS Village built in Guinea-Bissau, which was inaugurated on June 2, 1995, after operating for a year on an experimental basis. On February 1, 2001, the SOS Children's Villages Foundation of Guinea-Bissau was legally created, a Private Social Solidarity Institution, recognized as a legal person under private law of the foundational type.
The foundation is a non-profit, political and/or religious organization whose aim is to take in orphans, abandoned children or those belonging to families at risk who are unable to care for them, providing them with a family model of long-term care and solid training to achieve an independent life and full integration into society.
The SOS Children's Villages Foundation in Guinea-Bissau has been able to adapt to changes in society, responding to new ones.
BISSAU
GABU
CANCHUNGO
SOS Village Bissau
The SOS Children's Village in Bissau has been in operation since 1994, when it welcomed its first group of children, and was officially inaugurated on June 2, 1995 by the late President João B. Vieira and the Secretary General of SOS Kinderdorf International, Mr. Werner M. Handl. Vieira and the Secretary General of SOS Kinderdorf International, Mr. Werner M. Handl. Located in the center of Bissau, the SOS Bissau Village was built in the middle of palm trees, very well integrated into the surrounding community and much appreciated by the population.
Address: Rua Hermann Gmeiner- Granja do pessubé, Postal Code: 696- Bissau
SOS Village de Canchungo
The SOS Canchungo Children's Village is the third SOS village to have opened its doors and become operational in July 2007. It was officially inaugurated on October 23, 2008 by the then Prime Minister, Engineer Carlos Correia, in the presence of Mr. Richard Pichler, Secretary General of SOS-Kinderdorf International. As the most recent of the SOS Villages, the village of Canchungo has a different and personalized architecture, identical structures to the other villages and has the capacity to accommodate 120 children in 12 family homes.
Address: Entrance to Canchungo, Bairro Novo.
SOS Village of Gabú
The SOS Gabu Children's Village is Guinea-Bissau's second village, located in Gabu, the capital of the eastern province, 200km from Bissau.
It was officially inaugurated on September 21, 2002, by the former and late President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Dr. Koumba Yalá, and the president of SOS Kinderdorf International, Helmut Kutin. The Village has capacity for 120 children.
Address: Gabú entrance, Sintchandjulé neighborhood.
"At SOS Children's Villages, we act for children as an independent, non-governmental social development organization. We respect the various religions and cultures, and work in countries and communities where our mission can contribute to development. We work in the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and promote these rights throughout the world. With the S0S Children's Villages concept, our organization was the first to explore a family-based method of long-term care for orphaned and abandoned children. "
Elber Nosolini - National Director SOS Guinea-Bissau